Hiking with Bear

It was a gorgeous fall day and a great one to take our granddog, Bear, to Occoneechee for a hike. He was visiting for the weekend, and we were trying to show him around the area as well as keep him entertained. I think he especially loved riding across the lake!

Now, Mike and I have had cats as pets so it has been a long time since we actually took a dog hiking. We have taken him “walking” around town, but that’s different. You see, we learned that the smells are very different from one location to the other, especially from in-town vs the woods of the park. It also appeared to us that location dictated the pace of the hike.

On Saturday, we took Bear downtown to the Harvest Festival, not knowing what size crowd to expect. There were people on the streets and in the designated vendor area but not too heavy. He seemed to enjoy that, especially the compliments he received, except for those metal pieces which covered the drains from the business gutters to the street. Bear must have heard the sounds from people walking on them and WOULD NOT cross over them. Thankfully he is a very smart dog because he walked to the curb and stepped down to the street and back up on the sidewalk. Good dog!!

So back to Occoneechee. We wanted to take Bear to Occoneechee. We had our walking sticks, and Bear had his harness and leash on so we were ready! Mike and Bear took the lead, and before I actually got on the trail, they were 20 feet ahead of me! Oh my goodness! This is not the kind of hike I am used to. Ya’ll know I have to take pictures when we go, and it’s not always easy to use walking sticks and pull a camera out of your pocket, turn it on, focus, and click. Oh my!

Bear was like a dog possessed! He never raised his nose from sniffing unless Mike told him to stop! That dog went from side to side of the trail, back behind Mike, and then in front of Mike. He was in constant motion. Thankfully he and Mike stopped periodically for me to catch up!

After a ways on the trail, I asked Mike to stop so I could take a picture of Bear. Mike told me that there was no way of stopping Bear; that I just had to catch up! WHAT??? No Picture??? NOoooooo! Finally I figured out a way to get some pictures of him because he was the star of the hike!

This was probably the fastest hike we have taken at Occoneechee! We weren’t running, but we weren’t spending a lazy afternoon in the woods either! By the end of the hike, Bear drank our bottle of water so we had to go home and get him some more.

Now as I think about this, it was more than just a “Hike with Bear”. God was showing me how we run through our days and lives. Sometimes we are like Bear on the path of life - keeping our noses to the path or the grind; not looking up from the path unless someone tells us to; constantly being pulled to “look at this” or “help me do that”. The distractions of the trail or the path; the distractions of life; the days of our lives; trying to keep up; trying to keep life as normal as possible. But where does it get us? Hopefully it gets us money to pay bills; a home; a vehicle; and other necessities of our lives. But is God in it with you?

Let’s make a comparison. When we were walking on the paved road, Bear did not sniff the road or veer off of it. He walked the road as he does at his home and in his neighborhood. But let him get off of the road, and he is off to the races trying to sniff everything there is to sniff out there and constantly being distracted by one and yet another. So I think what God is telling us is that when we follow His path for us, we are less likely to get distracted, but when we go off the God-path, we will be inundated with the distractions/twists/turns of life and the pressures to keep going by doing it all on our own.

We CAN’T do it all on our own. Remember the song “There Was Jesus” a few messages ago?

Every time I try to make it on my own

Every time I try to stand, I start to fall

And all those lonely roads that I have traveled on

There was Jesus

When the life I built came crashing to the ground

When the friends I had were nowhere to be found

I couldn't see it then but I can see it now

There was Jesus

We cannot do this life on our own, but Jesus is here to help everyone of us. Maybe you know Jesus already or maybe you don’t and would like to learn more. Jesus is here; just talk with him and tell him what you need. Seek help from friends who really know Jesus or contact a local church.

I am reminded of a devotional I read recently and the following statement:

When you come to the woods, come to receive. Leave your worries at home.

(How to Love God Outdoors by Gary Thomas; Devotions Daily; Faithgateway.com)

Come to receive Jesus, whether it is in the woods or your neighborhood or any other place. Take time with Him so you can stay on the God-path and rest in Him!

Bear rested well after the hike!

Thanks for stopping by,

Rachel