Pioneers
This past Christmas we received, as a gift, an annual pass to America’s National Parks — one of the greatest gifts ever! We immediately made plans to explore a park we had never been to, So, last week, we made the trek up into northern Colorado and visited Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a winter wonderland! We layered up and hiked through the snow at Sprague Lake and Bear Lake, and we drove all over the park in search of moose. Though we never spotted a moose, we saw large herds of elk, along with the biggest bull elk (a 6x6 royal beauty) any of us had ever seen. We also saw numerous mule deer, and the scenery, in the middle of winter, was spectacular!
At the visitor’s center and at key points throughout the park there are plaques and historical markers that got me thinking about the kind of people who lived in harsh places like this back in the 1800’s. It must have been brutal! It would be brutal now! Enos Mills, known as the father of the park, moved into the park when he was just 14 years old! These pioneers faced the most brutal winters, and weather that can change for the worse on a dime! They risked hunger, injury, and exposure to the severe elements. There were no maps back in the day. People who ventured deep into this wild region were isolated from help and supplies; and wild animals such as mountain lions, moose, and black bears posed very real threats at any moment, too! These guys were truly hardcore!
One day, maybe I will carve out a home on a piece of wild land somewhere in the high mountains. But I don’t have to wait until then to be a pioneer. You and I can be the kind of pioneers who break generational patters and set new standards for our families. We can choose lives of faith and create new normals that were never established before us. Living differently, filled with faith, can feel lonely. Choosing a life of discipline and deep conviction can make you feel misunderstood. Those early RMNP pioneers were lonely and misunderstood too.
But lions partner with God to carve new paths. To be different in order to become better versions of themselves, and to lead themselves and their families well and with grand purpose! If you have felt stuck in old patterns, or trapped by cultural norms that seem to be keeping you down, listen to this…
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. - Isaiah 43:19 (NLT)
God is at work carving new pathways through the wilderness of our lives, our pasts, and our pain; and He’s bringing life! He is making pathways. We just need to be brave and willing enough to walk out past comfort and safety where the ridges rise and the air is thin. The snow might be deep too, but when we step out, we’re carving brand new paths for ourselves and for those who will come behind us.
Lions, with a little bit of faith we can partner with God to pioneer whole new legacies!