Rod of Trust

Psalm 23:4 “Fear not, for I am with you; Your rod and staff, they comfort me.”

Have I mentioned my fear of falling? Of Heights?

On our recent trip out west, our family took a day hike to beautiful Sawtooth Lake just outside Stanley, Idaho.

I did mention my fear, right?

On the way up the mountain, my dad reminded each of us to look for a hiking stick that would help us along the way.

I found this beautiful five foot branch that was light but strong and very straight. It had almost a natural handle at the four foot mark that my hand fit into perfectly. I even managed to whittle off a few protruding pieces to make it smooth.

At mile three my dad pulled me aside and told me to bring up the rear in case anyone had trouble on the upcoming ledge drop offs and switchbacks.

My heart switched into an new level of anxiety.

My knees get wobbly just thinking about steep drop offs at certain heights.

My mind recalled that I had been through worse before, plus I had this rod in my hand to steady me through the climb ahead.

For the next 20 or so minutes that rod would find a firm spot on the trail to steady me. That rod and I developed a little trust relationship during these minutes that lasted throughout the hike.

As we approached the end of the journey later in the day, I thought about this piece of wood in which I had placed my trust. It may sound a little silly, but the rod helped give me confidence to finish the course. Perhaps I may have thought differently if the stick would have broken and I had tumbled off the edge!

I think about several things I sort of implicitly trust on a regular basis that affect my life: like when an airplane takes off and I trust my life to a pilot who may be having a bad day. Like when I take a sharp turn in my car and trust that my axle or tires do not break. That a driver in an oncoming car on a two lane highway does not fall asleep and cross the line in to my lane. And so on…

It makes me realize I can live life with a multitude of fears and miss one the most beautiful places on earth at Sawtooth Lake. Not get in my car. Not get on the plane. Not drive on the windy roads to get to Idaho.

Life requires trust.

There is a kind of trust we have in others and things like a stick that require some wisdom.

Then there is a trust, an unconditional trust, that I must have in God. As David says in Psalm 23, that God is with me and that His rod and staff will comfort me.

I put my trust in Him.

He cares for me.

Life happens.

And sometimes it starts with picking up a stick.