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This year a few thousand folks will decide they’d like to spend a few months trying to hike the entirety of the Appalachian Trail. It’s a challenging goal: 2,200 miles of trail going through 14 states from Georgia to Maine, associated with weather that can go from freezing to scorching, and the prospect of months of hard work to achieve their goal. About 15% of these folks will achieve their goals, and many more will be forever touched by the experience of relying on a few basics on their back, and lots of hard work to take care of themselves in the wilderness.

The trail is marked with a series of 2”x6” painted white rectangles on trees, rocks, roads and fence posts. There are around 160,000 of these “white blazes” along the course of the trail, often, but not always, arranged so that one can see the next one from the previous one. Sights of the side of the trail are marked with similar “blue blazes”, and can include camping locations, water sources or routes to a nearby town.  With a reasonable amount of care, a hiker will usually be able to keep from getting lost along the way, and if he strays, it is usually not a difficult task to go back to the last blaze and look for the way again.  Imagine going for four to six months relying on painted blazes to show your way, and having faith that the next one will be beyond the current one!

The AT was for me a life-changing experience, drawing me closer to God, and enriching my life. I now spend a few months a year helping others achieve their hike goals, and simultaneously pointing out how God is and can be working in their lives. Hikers will say after hiking for months on the trail, “Wouldn’t it be nice if there were white blazes in life as well?”  The question can be the start of a wonderful conversation because, you see, there are: they are written in the love letter God wrote for us. Just as on the AT, we don’t get the whole picture at one time; we need to rely on the Bible for guidance step by step, day by day. And, we might take some detours off the path, but we can get back on again. It’s not a rigid structured life either: there are blue blazes in our lives that might lead to marriage, career decisions, or other important life choices. Always, however, we have the backbone of scripture to guide us. 

So, what are you using for your blazes? Do you rely on what the world paints on your path to determine your path, or do you look to the Word each and every day to know the next steps? As sure as the white blazes can take you 2,200 miles from Georgia to Maine, the Bible can guide you on an even more amazing trip: to eternal life with One who loves you.