Greetings from the Ozarks!

It's been wonderful to be back home in the country with my family. What a beautiful haven of peace and quiet we have here...some 50+ miles to the nearest grocery store, and more to the nearest shopping outlet. No sounds of traffic anywhere (except when the UPS or neighbors comes to visit) and no smog to blind our view or fill our lungs with poison. Just the gentle breeze rustling through the oaks and pine in our yard, and the serene view of our lake. Every time I come back to the old farmstead to visit, I'm more and more convinced that I grew up on one of the most beautiful pieces of "heaven on earth."

This week we did something extra special! Since it was my dad's birthday, and also my parent's 36th wedding anniversary, Mom rented a cabin for us (yes, all of us!) to go stay in close to some beautiful scenic hiking spots a couple hours Northwest of us. Now as far as I'm concerned, just coming back to the farm is a peaceful vacation enough...but mother wanted to do something extra special to "get-away" (from the phones and the routine). She'd thought of taking us camping, but since it's only the beginning of January and the dead of winter, she thought it might be better to get a place that would keep us warm while we played outside. ;-) I told her that since it was their anniversary, they should "get-away" on their own...but she said, "No no! It's much more fun with all my kids along!!" I laughed and then told her she's been married far toooooo long!!! (Although if I raise such "great kids" I'll probably be inviting them along someday as well! Ha ha!)

The cabin was warm and cozy, and the famous Ozark scenic overlooks (that I've never been to in all my years in Arkansas) were beautiful as well!! We had a wonderful time. (I've shared a few of my favorite photo's above.)

I have to tell you about one special hike we took though. It was the hike to "Lost Valley" which, incidentally, we were thankful we found.

It was almost dark when we got to this trail head, and it was getting chilly. So we donned our coats and packs and flashlights and headed off up the trail. Mom said there were some really neat caves up by the stream that had water flowing through them that we just had to see. Since it would be dark inside the caves anyhow, it didn't matter that we were hiking to them in the dark. As it grew darker, our lights only shown on the trail just ahead. We could hear the sound of flowing water, but there wasn't much we could see. Higher and higher we climbed as we followed the stream up into the canyon.... "Isn't this getting a little dangerous?" I ventured. "Just keep coming! We're almost there!" my mom encouraged.

Finally we made it to the entrance of the cave. I ventured inside. It seemed large enough. My mom, having been here before, again took off ahead of us as she encouraged us along the way, deeper and deeper into the cave. Soon we had to bend down to keep from scraping the ceiling, then we had to get on our hands and knees, then we had to start crawling...almost on our stomach. My brothers and I had to take off our packs and leave them behind. I don't like tight spaces and yelled ahead to my mom, "How much farther?! I don't like this!" "We're almost there!" she encouraged. "Just stay focused and keep crawling!" I began to sweat...not from the workout, but from the extra adrenaline racing through my veins. Finally we crawled through a little hole and down into a beautiful open room with a 50 foot ceiling where a beautiful water fall was pouring through the rock. It was worth the trip!

Later, as I headed back thru the dark to the van along with my family, I thought about how our hike so closely parallels what we shall have to go through in our experience with God.

For one, as we learn to let go and walk more and more by faith, we aren't going to be able to see the road ahead. We may hear sounds that give us an indication of our location in the journey, but we have to rely on the light that God has given us for that day. He doesn't promise to show us what lies ahead (and it's probably for our best, for all I can handle are the trials of today!), but He is faithful at being a light to our path today...one step at a time! "Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path..." Ps 119:105

For two, as we get closer to God and closer to His sooooon return...we are going to have to let go of more and more of our worldly dreams and worldly possessions. In fact, one day, everything will have to be released and cast aside...just as I had to leave behind more of my things as the cave got tighter and tighter. But the end result will be far grander than a beautiful waterfall, it will be life eternal in a glorious heavenly home of peace and joy. In fact, it kind of reminds me of a dream that a certain woman named "Ellen" once had about 100 years ago. The dream went like this:

In the dream Ellen was traveling with a large group of people. Some of the people had their wagons loaded with all their things. The road they were traveling on was steep, and on one side was a big drop-off and on the other side was a high white wall.

The road got narrower and narrower so they had to leave their wagons because there was not room enough for them. Some of the people tied their luggage on the horses and rode the horses. The path kept getting more narrow, so the people were all crowded near the wall. When their luggage hit it they would sway toward the edge. They were afraid they would fall off the edge, so they cut the luggage from the horses and it fell off the side. When the road became so narrow that they were afraid they would lose their balance, they got off the horses. Finally they left their horses behind and followed each other, walking in each other's footsteps.

Just then small white ropes came down the wall and they grabbed them to keep their balance. The ropes moved as they moved. Finally the path became so narrow that they had to take off their shoes and stockings. Even then it was difficult to stay on the narrow and dangerous path. Many people who were not used to such hard traveling had already stopped climbing. But the people who were used to things being hard kept traveling and wanted to reach the end of the road.

Because the road became so narrow they could not walk on it they had to hold on tight to the ropes saying “We have to hold on from above! We have to hold on from above!” Each person said these words to the next person on the path.


Suddenly the people on the path heard all kinds of noises from below the cliff. They heard swearing, and profanity, loud music and cruel laughing. They also heard loud crying. The people holding on to the ropes on the wall were more determined than ever to keep going up the narrow path.

As the path got narrower, the ropes got bigger and stronger. In the dream Ellen saw that the white wall had blood on it. It made her sad to see the beautiful wall stained with blood. Then she realized that when people came up the path and saw the stains they would know that others had been there before them, and even though they suffered a lot of pain they had kept on going up the path. This would encourage them to keep on going, too.

Now the people came to a big cliff below them and the path ended. There wasn’t anywhere to put their feet. They must trust the ropes, which had become very thick. Some of the people wondered where the ropes came from and what was holding them.


Then in her dream Ellen looked across to the other side from the cliff and saw a beautiful field of green grass about six inches high. She could not see the sun, but bright beams of light like fine gold and silver rested on the field. It was more beautiful than anything she had ever seen on earth. But would they reach the field? What if the ropes broke?

Again the people whispered the words “What holds the ropes?” Then someone said, “Our only hope is to trust in Jesus. The ropes have held us safely all this way; they will still hold us.”
While they were waiting they heard the words, “God holds the ropes. We need not fear.” Then Ellen’s husband James swung himself over the cliff and landed in the beautiful field. Ellen then took the rope and swung across. Then the rest of the people did the same. They felt so relieved and happy and thankful. They had made it safely by faith through Jesus Christ.*

Isn't that an incredible dream? I don't know about you, but I don't want anything to hold me back from going higher as I journey towards God's kingdom. I don't want any worldly dream, selfish longing, or treasured possession to risk pulling me over the edge of the cliff to my destruction. May God give each of us strength to "LET GO" and to keep pressing higher...

*Adapted from The Spirit of Prophecy Emphasis Stories, vol. 2, pp. 59-62