Issue 913 – Bushwhacking – November 18, 2022
A small forest trail, like this one at Rolly Lake, can be a blessing. Even in reasonably open terrain like this, having a path beats having to bushwhack to reach your destination.
If you aren’t familiar with the term, the word bushwhack is an intransitive verb meaning “To force one’s way through a forested or overgrown area where no path exists.”
I have been in plenty of places where there was no path, and you fought against thick brush and windfalls over broken ground every step of the way.
You push yourself through the brambles with thorns grabbing your clothing every step of the way. Most of the fallen trees are too awkward to step over, so you end up on your belly crawling under them or climbing up and over. Either way, you try and avoid getting stabbed by a broken branch or swatted by a branch that you push out of the way.
Vines and tree roots compete to see who can trip you the most. If you watch the ground, branches stick out and poke you.
Spiders and other creepy crawly things bite you. Poison ivy and oak rub playfully against you. That hornet’s nest could have been a real hazard. You might not want to know what you just put your hand in.
There is no bridge across the creek, so you try and find an easy way across, hoping to stay as dry as possible. You frequently stumble and fall, getting soaked as you go. Maybe there are stepping stones to take you across, but you still need to be careful because one or more of them invariably rocks when you put your weight on it.
It can be exhausting. You can travel hundreds of metres, or more, on a path in the time it can take to bushwhack even a few feet.
I confess that sometimes I can be a slow learner and seem to have to learn many things the hard way. It is as if I want to bushwhack my way through life. I’m slowly learning there are easier ways.
The Scriptures provide a path through life that can help us avoid much trouble.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105
All of us need the truth of the Word. We also need guidance from others who have walked through life, applied the Word and gained wisdom. The Scriptures call us to that path.
But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Titus 2:1-6
All believers are called to be mentors. It doesn’t have to take on the form of a formal teaching/mentoring session or relationship. We can demonstrate what we have learned by how we live our lives. We can share our wisdom by building into the life of others. We can be honest about the mistakes we have made and the goodness of God.
Even if we haven’t learned much yet, there will be people who know even less, and we can grow together.
All of us have met those godly saints who are wise beyond their years and seem to radiate peace and wisdom. Please get to know them and allow them to mentor you. I guarantee they didn’t start their faith walk that way, and you might be surprised by what you can learn from each other.
There is a spiritual gift of teaching, but all of us can be relational teachers and learners.
Whose life are you impacting today? Who are you learning from?
Be blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).
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