April 19, 2010

When Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, he said to them, “Go up there into the Negev; then go up into the hill country. And see what the land is like”…So they went up and spied out the land [and] told him, “It certainly does flow with milk and honey…Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large…We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out…Numbers 13:17, 18, 21, 27, 28, 31, 32

The shortest visit I ever made to a national park was to Guadalupe Mountains, an 86,000-acre spread in West Texas on the border with New Mexico. My family was on a tour of parks in the Southwest, and somehow Guadalupe has escaped our attention. But when we saw the sign for it along the highway, we decided to stop in and have a look.

And that’s about all we did. I believe we were the only ones there at the time (the park gets a mere 200,000 visitors a year). As we gazed at the vast, wild expanse from the visitor center, we felt uninspired to do much of anything. The scrubby drab desert terrain of cacti, yuccas and thorn bushes didn’t exactly beckon to us—it seemed too inhospitable and harsh. We took a half-hearted walk down a loop trail, then turned back and headed to our car.

Too bad for us. I recently read a New York Times  article about the park, and realized all we’d missed: red-tailed hawks and peregrine falcons, a hike to McKittrick Canyon, where desert gives way to beautiful forest, and a more strenuous hike up Guadalupe Peak for a spectacular view.

I imagine our initial response to Guadalupe must be similar to that of the Israelites sent to check out the land God had promised them. We concentrated on what the park didn’t have up front—lush landscape and breathtaking scenery—and what we thought we might stumble upon—prickly cacti and dangerous wildlife (mountain lions, poisonous snakes and the occasional black bear can be encountered). We let a lack of time and unwillingness to make the effort thwart what could have been a memorable visit. The spies, while acknowledging the land looked good, nonetheless decided that the battle for it would never succeed, and were afraid of even trying.

But, you know, there’s a reason why Guadalupe is a national park. “This is where you can feel the West exactly as it was,” Park Superintendent John Lujan says in the article. It’s a place to reflect on the courage of the pioneers and understand the magnificence that drew them to the wild, untamed parts of our country in the first place.

By God’s grace, two of the Israelites stood up to the majority. “The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land,” Joshua and Caleb countered. “If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it to us…Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they shall be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them” (Numbers 14:7-9). The people’s response was to weep, grumble, wish themselves dead and declare their intention to go back to slavery in Egypt—but not before they stoned the obviously crazy pair of optimists (Numbers 14:1-4, 10).

Unfortunately, they got part of their wish. The result of their lack of belief in God’s assurances and His previous miracles of protection and care (Numbers 14:11) was that although they were at the edge of the promised land, they had to turn back into the wilderness, where all who were 20 years of age and older would die and where the rest would wander for 40 years (Numbers 14:23, 29, 33, 34). The exceptions were, naturally, Caleb and Joshua (Numbers 14:30).

How often I fail to move forward with what God’s calling me to do because of fear! I hesitate, asking myself, What if I’m not up to the task? What if I fail? What if things don’t turn out the way I want? Or I whine, It’s too hard! I’d rather stay where I feel secure! What I forget are the past instances of God’s protection and leading, the inner reward I experience from doing what’s right and best, and His promise of always being with me (Joshua 1:9—yep, even Joshua needed a reminder!).

So you too, even if you’re hesitant and uncertain, step out into the seemingly inhospitable and barren wilderness God’s leading you to. It might be uncomfortable and lonely at times, and you may have to work like mad, but the returns are much greater than they’ll ever be when you play it safe.

And remember—God’s beside you every step of the way.

P.S. National Parks Week is here once again! Take advantage of free entrance to all 392 units of the National Park Service–national parks, historic sites, monuments, seashores, recreation areas, etc.–now through Sunday, April 25. There’s no better way to see America!