The trial had been going on but I didn’t really know who was responsible and what the pieces were of evidence and I surely did not know the motive. I walked the line for the orange trail which was going to take me back to the red trail and the family who wanted me returned. They wanted me as a president. The courts wanted the guilty party for my now changed behavior someone else wanted my invented video game and Christ called me to the center of it all to watch and observe the carnivorous assaults of beings distracted by the dollar and lacking any sense. I was changed forever but the world wasn’t.
At my car I saw a small Asian gentleman going to his nearbye car. He pulled out two fishing rods, slipped on a pair of waders, and grabbed his white bucket.
I knew the sign.
Next a balded gentleman with jeans and and a gold Tshirt pulled in the Asian mans spot.
I knew it was time for me to start devoting this life and following the call for what God wanted me to follow. Man and woman and obstacles were in my way. Taking my phone and backpack I headed out to the wilderness as Jesus would do to pensively ponder.
I meandered the swamp trail a bit and it seemed to not have any precedence with a swamp at all …and then I saw “him”. The Asian gentleman had now changed. He was now wearing the heritage clothing of my ancestors but was going the opposite direction as I. His walking stick was flailing behind him as his arms stretched out as if on the cross itself. I knew to follow him. I had to follow him. Especially as I looked down among the swamp I was at a pier with no trail on the left . No trail on the right. He would be Jesus to me today.
Struggling to keep up because I had already been behind him quite a ways in the forest and I did not want to appear as if following him so I slid myself around one of the tall pines so I could be conspicuous. I follow him all the way back to his car where he is in there drinking from a gold thermos. Some would see a gold thermos. Some would see it as Texas Tee oil. I saw it as far greater. It was the chalice. The golden chalice, the cup of salvation. The water of life. The blood of Christ.
In that instant he drove away with a nod as I had done the correct thing in following him.
The next trail did go through the swamp and had I been able to get protection from the mosquitoes I would have a far greater story while it was fresh in the processing. I wanted to sit on the pier of the swamp and write through the process. There was a realization to me that so many times I have studied other countries and poverty and mosquito nets I had never studied about insect repellent. Another thing of my list of to do’s now which always gets longer but is of great appeal to my health for thinking about others gets us to the places beyond ourselves.
Apre’s the swamp I came upon a clearing that had pine needles to one side and the other side was pine and white sand. It is most certain that I love our church on Pine Street. I have been there since a teen and we are a flock together. I have watched and participated in the lives of the people and they had participated in mine. Births and deaths. Sickness and health. Parties and fasts and they have taught me well that you cannot have a church without Christ….and so it is that I took the Jesus trail of sand and pine. A salamander crossed my path quickly. Along the way I happed upon a red leaf on the field of pine. The Asian man had worn aqua and the color of my mother’s heritage. The red is the blood of Christ. Red is blood of family and so I followed it to the end in which a birch tree had fallen but this meant that I needed to go a different direction.
The day was hot and I had drunk all of my water supply and the wilderness was fast becoming more difficult. The next sign was the blue trail. I knew to follow the blue trail was death. I cut across the path and took to my own direction. . I was now lost but at least not in hell. The thirst was becoming great. Tired I sat under a large group of pines with the biggest pinecones I had ever encountered. As I looked up into the sky at the towering Pines I could feel the love of His church and our people. It was time to move forward but I could have made a bed there upon the plush needles.
Wandering almost breathless the sun was starting to burn my skin. It was through the pain of my body and what seemed like many miles that I could intensely feel God talking with me and I with Him. Since there was no path there was no one on the path to question my conversation with my Lord. In answering my prayers He placed me at the rangers house. Ringing the bell …no one was there. The hose was at the side of the house though. I turned it on and opened my water bottle to let the Water of Life fill to the top. I thanked my heavenly Father drank from the bottle and decided which direction He would have me go.
Across the woods red trees glowed in the distance. I had no choice but to follow. I was now at the fire station. There was a bathroom. Lots of tools and again no one was there. I took nothing but a map. As I began to read it the map only told of a project that was to take place for the park and the lettering was so small that I could not see the writing. Inside was a fan and air conditioning. I could have layed in there forever but that would not propel Christ’s story. I thanked the Lord for the whirling air from that fan and the blessing of a moments cool.
Outside a door blew in the breeze back and forth with a squealing sound of a shed with a green lawnmower and more tools. I closed the door and attached the lock. Upon this next journey I came to the road. I followed it because again on both sides of me was the blue trail. The road took me to the main office where there were people to help. I was going to try and get a ride but received a map and decided to keep going the journey since they said I was not too far away from my car. The problem being that if I took the wrong direction I could become lost again.
When arriving at my car it was a beautiful sight. A journey even small as this gives us thankfulness for the direction and guidance God gives us. He gives us a spiritual journey that if we followHis notions and His clues that we will be taken to places that He proves He will take care of us and not lead us astray. This day I learned to walk by faith …it was now upon this moment that I realized I was hungry. I had already pulled up my tent that morning and was toting it in the back of the car with the gear and the kayak. It was now time to heed the advice of a great preacher who is among the advice I take to heart who expressed in one of his sermons that I was privileged to hear, “I would rather eat a hotdog under a bridge than dine with the finest of people who would not approve of my beliefs”. There was no one around me so there was no one that did not believe but as I took to the park and sat sweaty and smelly under that bridge unwrapping my hot dog …perhaps I would find someone to proclaim Christ to.
Christinetwilson
"Thought Maps" 