In 1987 I was in my senior year of high school when my Science teacher put together a three day camping expedition over Christmas break. We would hike into the Appalachian Trail and camp at the Rausch Gap Shelter near the Fort Indiantown Gap Army post. I didn’t know anything about the Appalachian Trail so I went to the local outfitter store and bought maps and books to begin my research.
Over the years I became increasingly interested in the Appalachian Trail (AT as it is known) and hiked a few portions of it near my home. During the fall of last year my twenty-one year old son was frustrated with what to do with his life when I suggested he hike the AT. Momentum picked up until he began his hike at Springer Mountain Georgia in March of this year. I finally got to hike the trail vicariously along with him. I became his Trail Manager!
Most hikers credit their Trail Manager with being the one individual most responsible for helping them complete their hike. The Trail Manager send packages to appointed locations, they watch the weather forecasts, they switch out cold weather and warm weather gear, they send food, they warn the hiker of what lies ahead on the trail and they monitor the health and diet of their hiker.
The more that I worked with my son, the more I realized the spiritual picture I was experiencing. God is my Trail Manager. He knows the trail, He knows where I am, He monitors my walk, and He helps me each step of the day.
In the next part of this article we will look at how God manages each part of our walk in this life.
