Godspeed: An expression of good will when addressing someone, typically someone about to go on a journey or a daring endeavor.

This summer, I had the joy of taking my entire family backpacking for five days through the Sierra Mountains in California.  I have lead groups in this scenic wilderness before but my wife and kids have only seen pictures and I was excited to have them see it first hand.  This country is as hard as it is beautiful and my eleven year old daughter carried her own pack with about 15 pounds of food, water, and equipment.  This hike would challenge Mattie in many ways both phyically and emotionally.  Each morning as we set out, her spirits were high and her pace was strong, but as the trail started to climb and the way became difficult, her pace would slow.  She wanted to keep up with Dad.  I decided to hang back with Mattie and let the others take the lead.

Pace is everything as you traverse the mountains.  It is important.  Knowing your pace allows you to measure the distance traveled.  Your pace dictates where you stop for water and lunch and whether or not you get to camp before the afternoon thunderstorms overtake you.  But it is easy to view your daily mileage as a guage for your acomplishments.  It’s hard to be last in line sometimes.  Everyone wants to be first.  The faster the better – right?

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Learning

Anyone that grew up in the 80s will remember The Karate Kid. What a great picture of teacher and student. It is full of truth. First, there is the agreement Mr. Miyagi made with Daniel-son. “I teach, you learn”. The first day of training involves Daniel waxing all of Mr. Miyagi’s cars – and he had several. You can see it in the young man’s face, “But I thought…”, but the teacher insists. And there was a particular way to wax the cars. “Wax on, right hand, big circle. Wax off, left hand, big circle”. This didn’t seem like karate training at all. Day two was sand the floor. Day three and four were ‘paint the fence’ and ‘paint the house’, each with their very special way of doing it. Daniel had had it! This was not karate! Miyagi reminded him of the agreement: I teach, you learn.

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The Law Fulfilled

In the latter part of chapter 5 in Matthew, Jesus was speaking about several of the Jewish laws. Jesus started by pointing out the well-known 'do not murder' command. But he said that wasn't enough - our anger alone could bring judgment down on us. Next, he reminds the crowd that you are not supposed to commit adultery, and as everyone starts nodding in agreement, he takes it to the next level and says that if you even allow your heart to lust after another woman, you have sinned. You have broken God's law. Then he says 'Love your neighbor', and everyone knows that - of course you're supposed to love your neighbor. But he goes one step further and says we are to love our enemies. If we don't, we are sinning. This is crazy talk! What is he saying?

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Traveling Style

After several years of leading backpacking trips, I have noticed that people fall into one of two categories: journey hikers or destination hikers. Some guys blast off from camp each day with that night's camp in their sights. They rarely stop or slow down. The next campsite becomes their entire focus for the day. They are on a mission! Others are reluctant to leave camp. They are the last to break down their tent and load their pack. On the trail they are perfectly content to take frequent stops. Have a snack. Adjust their pack. They will inspect a leaf and compare the color difference of each side! I have heard people say things like: "The journey is the destination" or "The path is the goal". Really? How about 'the journey is the journey and the destination is the destination'? But what is most important? Where should our focus be? Should we set goals in life and pursue them without regarding what we encounter along the way? Or should we just take life as it comes, wandering around enjoying all that life has to offer - and end up wherever we end up? Destination or Journey? Which is most important?

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Conditioning

Last year, I went on my first overseas mission trip. I joined a group of 24 other adults as we flew to Costa Rica to work on an orphanage and lead bible schools in the San Jose area. It was good to provide help where there is such an obvious need. There was a tremendous amount of planning before the trip and there were many people offering much advice. The most common warning I received was: Don't drink the water! On the long flight over the Gulf of Mexico, I began to wonder just how bad could the water really be? I mean, there are over 4 million people in Costa Rica and most of them routinely drink straight from the tap. They don't get sick. What's the difference? The difference is conditioning. We, as Americans, have cleaned and sanitized our world to the degree that we cannot stomach even the smallest of nasties in our system. Our water treatment is second to none...

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