Did I Need This?

Earlier this summer, the leadership team met at Charleston Falls. I had never been there before and was unfamiliar with the size of the park. There were 5 of us and we split into 2 groups of two and one person was solo. On the way in, I was paired with Pastor Karen and we were instructed to answer some questions and pray. We all came together at the falls and again were split into 2 groups of two and a solo person. I ended up as the solo person and went off to pray on my own. I didn’t think too much of it until I had started what I thought was the way back to the parking lot. After a little bit I realized I had gotten a bit lost. It took me another 30 min and some help from a stranger to get back to the parking lot.

Usually in a situation like that I would have gotten stressed, upset and frustrated. I would likely have started down the path of beating myself up for messing up. However, in this particular situation I continued to pray. I was enjoying the presence of the Lord, which gave me peace. I asked “Did I need this?” “Did I need to get lost in the woods with you?” I felt Him answer “Yes, my child.” I may have spent more time than expected wandering the woods, but I left feeling refreshed and loved by my Savior. I laughed at myself, enjoyed the outdoors, and rested in the presence of Jesus.

I came home feeling much better than I had in the weeks prior. It makes me think how many times have I missed out on the presence of the Lord because I was too focused on having messed up. I encourage you to “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” 1 Chronicles 16:11 (ESV) as you go throughout your week. I don’t expect you to get lost in the woods with him, but I do pray you get lost in His presence.