While I was in the woods

I took a few hours yesterday to get alone with God by hiking up in the Catoctin Mts (yes, home of Camp David). This is my unique and personal "sacred pathway", I get alone in nature to talk with God. The more demanding the season or stress in my life, the longer the hike.While I was out there, here were a couple of things I discovered:

• Not just about the summit, but the climb; not about arriving, but process of getting their. In other words, God isn't just concerned with our results or what we can do FOR Him, but how we do it and our heart during the process of doing it.
• Spend more time hiking (all day), then enjoying view (few brief moments). Therefore, enjoy the hike/ the process, and don't make it all about just arriving at the destination.
• Poison ivy makes trees look very alive (full of green), but it's really killing it. Similarly, cancer will make a body gain weight and size, but is really destroying it. In the same way, religious/ critical people may added size and attendance to a church, but in fact they are "cancerous" cells destroying the body.
• The climb is dirty, messy, sometimes grueling. If you have something to prove, you'll only climb if others are watching. If your only goal is to arrive at the summit, then you'll take shortcuts. If you have a wimpy attitude, or lack purpose, you're better off staying home.

What "sacred pathways" do you have to connect with God? What is God saying to you?