Encouraging Advice for the Journey

After we committed to the Grand Canyon hike, we began getting emails from our guide on the proper clothes, shoes, sox, sleeping bags, poles, food, tents, etc. You name it--we received instruction on it! Because we are not experienced hikers, and did not know what we were in for, none of this made sense to us. We foolishly ignored his valuable advice.

"We can wear tennis shoes."
"We can use our old (translated heavy) sleeping bags."
"Do we really need hiking poles?"
"Wool sox seem so hot," were common phrases we said to each other, as the countdown continued to our trip.
"Do we really need all this stuff?"
We were becoming annoyed, to the point of overload, with all the recommendations and instructions we were getting.

In retrospect, do we ever wish we would have listened to those suggestions. After all, they were for our well-being and benefit. We suffered because we did not listen to the one who knew what was ahead and the rough path we would be traveling on.

I was thinking how we are like that in life with God. He gives us His word for our good, because He made us and knows what is best for us. It is because of His great love for and protection of us that He has certain guidelines and counsel in His Word.

Everyone has a free will to choose what they want to do. But how about asking our guide, the One who has the past, present and future in His control, to show us His way.

Now, it makes perfect sense to me.