Since I am working this summer it's been difficult to really travel much. And I love to travel! So most of my traveling has been over weekends.
One weekend I went to Cumberland Mountain State Park for a family reunion and the next weekend I went to Nashville with two of my college friends. But the most memorable weekend was when I left straight from work to get on a plane at Memphis International and fly 2 hours to Baltimore Washington International.
It has been about 2 years since the last time I saw my high school friend, Sarah. She's been living in Arlington and a visit was well past due. I got off the plane at Baltimore and after walking for what seemed like hours but was really 20 minutes, I found the pick-up lanes. There was a car holding up traffic, a policeman was talking to the driver and I had a feeling I knew who the driver was. Sure enough it was Sarah.
On the way to Sarah's apartment, we stopped at the Capitol Building, the Washington Monument and the World War II Memorial. Because of this weekend, the Washington Monument has become my favorite monument in D.C. simply because you can touch it and it's so beautiful at night. Breathtaking and simple, the monument just stood out the most, even with the lights from the reconstruction of the Capitol Building shining brighter.
Being young college students, it didn't phase Sarah and I that we got back to her apartment close to 3:00 a.m. only to get up at 8:00 a.m. to go to Starbucks and Chick-fil-a then walk to a park across from the apartment building. We walked about 2.5 miles before stopping for breakfast at a picnic table on the bank of the Potomac River. We then walked the 2.5 miles back to her apartment to get ready to go to Washington D.C.
I will take this moment to say that my attire for the day was a t-shirt, blue jean shorts and Chacos. I had my new Wolf River Conservancy drawstring backpack with my iPod, wallet, chap stick, Band-Aids, and a Starbucks gift card. I was ready...at least I thought I was. Sarah was in tennis shoes, a tank top, shorts and had a backpack with water bottles, ice packs and who knows what other smarter choices for a day in the Capital. It was mostly cloudy and the temperature was somewhere between 91 and 88 with a light breeze and a much lower humidity than Memphis.
We took the Metro to Washington D.C. and headed for the Washington Monument. From there we went to the World War II Memorial, walked along the Reflection Pool to the Lincoln Memorial and visited the Korean War Memorial where a special program was going on and veterans from the Screaming Eagles in Clarksville, Tennessee were visiting. We then went to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the Franklin (not Teddy) Roosevelt Memorial and then the Jefferson Memorial, which had a beautiful view of the Potomac.
By the time we circled back to the Washington Monument, it was almost 4:30 and we hadn't had lunch. So we took the Metro to Pentagon Row where we met up with Sarah's brother and had lunch/dinner at Nando's Per-Peri. We sat outside and enjoyed the great food.
Sarah had to work Saturday night so when we got back to the apartment, she got ready for work. I brought a book to read so I planned to go to the pool and read while my feet cooled in the pool. It's here where I would like to say that I had blisters on three of my left foot toes, two of my right foot toes and let's just say blue jean shorts were not the best choice for walking-around-a-lot attire. Before going to the pool, I changed into my pajama/gym shorts and grabbed my book. Sarah's brother went to the pool with me and I sat poolside while he lounged in a chair.
While sitting beside the pool, I accepted the fact that I was not prepared for the day. I realized this earlier in the day but it was then I accepted the conclusion. Because I desperately wanted a "Chaco tan line" I sacrificed comfort. Because I wanted tan legs, I sacrificed a few layers of skin. I got a nice Chaco tan line but my legs stayed a nice shade of pale. And my backpack was far unprepared as I didn't have water or sunscreen (I did get sunburnt on my face) and I sure didn't pack snacks either.
Have you ever felt unprepared for something? Maybe you realized this before or maybe after the fact. Or, like me, you realized you were unprepared during the endeavor when your feet hate you and you're comfortable shoes are still packed in your workout bag 858 miles away.
Are you prepared for the next adventure God is already planning for you? What would you wear? What would you pack in your backpack, if you take a backpack?
"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
-Ephesians 6:13-17 NIV
Well, that verse takes care of What To Wear: God Edition.
But what about your backpack? You're taking a backpack, right? And there will be snacks.
You'll need a map, to know where God is sending you. The Bible is a good GPS for life as it's already programed with God's guidance and promises.
"The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you."
-Psalm 32:8 NLT
Snacks are a must. Even if it's a pack of gum to hold you over to the next stop. Fruit is a good choice for your Hiking With God backpack.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
-Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
What else would you put in your backpack? For me, I'd have my iPod, where one of my most recent favorite songs is kept on a convenient portable device. "Drops in the Ocean" by Hawk Nelson is a good adventuring song. Play This Song Twice
So what are you waiting for? Gear up, strap in and head out on God's adventure for you!
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