Last week my 20-year-old son, Bradley, hiked 76.2 miles on the Foothills Trail. He had a great time, and he said he met with God in the woods. He wasn’t the only one who had a spiritual experience last week. I think the trip was about as much about God working in my life as it was in Bradley’s. I will explain.

The Plea

I begged Bradley not to do the hike alone in the weeks before the trip. He assured me he would be fine. Still I went through the list of all the things that could happen—getting lost, bears, criminals attacking him. He assured me he would be fine. Afterall he is your typical bullet-proof young man. Before he became an Eagle Scout, he served as a guide for many Boy Scout hikes. He has also gone hundreds of miles on trials like the Appalachian.

All of those other hikes were with other people. I did not like the idea of Bradley’s hiking alone from the start, but I knew that Bradley had to do it. It was a man thing that a mom just can’t fully grasp.

The Hike

When I found out that his friend had decided to go with him, I was so thankful. He hiked with Bradley for the first two days and decided not to continue. So on the third day, Bradley started out alone for the last 50 or 60 miles of the trip. He told me on Wednesday that he would text me. I understood that he expected to text that evening. He had shared his location with us on GPS so we could follow where he was.

The Worry

Wednesday night came and there was no text or blip on the map. I figured he must be out of range as he hiked through the Jocassee Gorge, and surely the next day he would reach a place where he had a signal. Thursday came and went and no sign of him. By Thursday night, I was worrying. I prayed for him every time he crossed my mind which was pretty often. By Friday afternoon, 48 hours with no blip or text, I was a hot mess.

In my mind, he had lost his way and was running out of water. A bear or a wild boar had attacked him. He had wandered in the night and had fallen. Someone had hurt him and stolen from him and left him out in the woods. I had it all figured out. Any of these things could have happened. From this experience, I can now write a book on the perils of hiking. Each chapter has already played out in full color in my mind.

I gave him to God like Abraham gave Isaac, but then I would pick him back up. I was having internal arguments with myself. Why wasn’t I trusting more?

I have been through so many trials in my life—a brutal divorce, caring for my sick parents until their deaths, a betrayal by my best friend when she embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from me, two cancer battles, ongoing pain every day from my breast surgeries, to name a few. Every time when I have asked God to show me what He was teaching me through those trials, He has always responded with two words, “Trust Me”. And in every trial in my life, He has been faithful. His track record is impeccable.

Now here I am all these years later, sick with worry over my grown son taking a walk in the woods. Wow, had I not learned anything? I thought I had grown more in my faith than that.

The Lesson

I had cried and prayed, and had finally reached a peace about letting go of my worry about Bradley on Friday afternoon. God knew where he was, and that had to be enough. Just as I felt that peace, my phone beeped and there was an aerial shot of Bradley at White Water Falls near Cashiers, NC about 40 miles from where he started at Table Rock. I have never seen such a beautiful aerial shot in my life. I was dancing and squealing and praising God in my kitchen. Once again, like always, my God had been faithful.

I got a real lesson that day from 2 Corinthians 5:7. For we live by faith, not by sight.

The Peace

Bradley was a day ahead of schedule. He was halfway through. For the rest of the trip, I didn’t worry even though at times I could not see where he was. God knew, and that was enough. Bradley made the rest of the trip easily and finished two days ahead of schedule that following Monday. The next time he hikes like that, I don’t think I want access to his GPS. Knowing when he is unreachable makes me worry more. 

He later told me what an incredible experience it was. He said he felt a closeness to God out there that changed his perspective. They had conversations.

God is always right beside us, but, in the noise and busyness of life, we often don’t stop to acknowledge him. Bradley said it was definitely different from hiking with another person. He was hiking with God.

He was surprised he didn’t see any bears. I told him I wasn’t surprised because I was praying he wouldn’t. Sorry, (not sorry) I guess that hampered the experience a bit.  He had a great trip, and his smile in this photo says it all.

Like all the other times in my life when I have sought God in times of despair, once again I could hear the Holy Spirit whisper to me, “Trust me”. I know He must think I am such a silly girl. I fully admit that I am a work in progress. This trip humbled me. God taught me the same lesson He has over and over in my life—a lesson I thought I had learned a long time ago.

I can trust Him in all circumstances. He is faithful. It is all under His control. He loves me and my family more than we could ever imagine. These are things I know like the back of my hand, but knowing and walking out these beliefs are two very different things, especially where my children are concerned. I’ve asked around, and worry seems to be a recurring theme with us mothers.

I cannot promise that I won’t worry the next time a trial comes along. But I hope that the lesson He is so consistently trying to teach me finally sinks in. Maybe he is teaching you this lesson too. Here it is in all it’s simple glory.

God is in control, and that is enough.

Still He whispers.

“Trust. Me.”

Dear Lord: Thank You for proving to me once again that You are always faithful. You have the whole world in Your hands, that includes me and all my problems. It includes everyone who is reading this prayer and all their problems too. Help our unbelief. It really is simple. You have it all under control. There is no reason to worry. We just need to be obedient to do our part, and leave the rest to You. In all things, we thank You that You are enough. Amen

Have you ever been surprised by your lack of faith in a situation even though you knew you could trust God? Do you have stories about His faithfulness, and how He has brought you out of a trial? We would love to hear your comments and thoughts to encourage our readers.

Thank you for reading and sharing my blogpost today.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23