June 30thA Hike-A-Thon Reflection
A Menno Minute - Keith Retzlaff
Hike-a-thon Reflection
June 6th was the annual Camp Hikeathon. The hike started at Barrier Lake and climbed high enough to present a wonderful view of the valley below. This was my first Hikeathon, and it was a great experience. There were numerous participants, all hiking at different speeds. I wanted to share how the hike was much like the community of Christ and our walk with Him.
I’m not talking about the obvious analogy of a path filled with ups and downs that ends in a high point, allowing you to see where you have come from. Instead, I want to share about the journey back down from the top. I am choosing not to share the names of each individual, not to protect the innocent, but to make you think about the times when you may have been one of them.
I had the privilege of hiking back down with someone who was not going to break any speed records on the descent. We started back earlier than the others so that we could return to the bottom at a similar time. Coming down the mountain is often harder on the joints than the journey up. You are already exhausted from the effort it took to reach the summit, and now it is time to return. The steep sections that challenged you on the way up now require careful control on the way down, as you try not to misstep and fall.
As we made our way down the trail, things started to slow down and we had to take breaks as joints began to protest the strain. Others from the group passed by and offered encouragement. This is where I started to see God’s community at work. Someone stopped to offer a hiking pole to provide support for the journey. Others stopped and offered a quick snack, turning the break into a moment of refreshment and fellowship rather than focusing only on the difficulty.
As the hike continued, we fell further behind the group and were eventually passed by everyone. The heat was beginning to take a greater toll, and we needed to stop for a more substantial break than simply standing at the side of the trail. And there it was—a lovely stone, just the right height to sit in the shade and recover. My phone buzzed with someone checking in to make sure things were going okay. Another person started back up the trail to bring water and a hat. A stranger stopped to make sure everything was all right and offered help. Soon, we started back down the mountain again—refreshed enough to continue, though still not breaking any speed records and still stopping occasionally.
Instead of the two of us, we were now three, and soon we came upon others who had stopped and waited, and the group grew. Those already at the bottom radioed up to make sure all was well and to see whether any help was needed. This is a reflection of the church community. We are all at different points. Sometimes we are the ones moving along easily, able to offer help to others along the way. Other times we are the ones struggling, needing help, or needing someone to walk alongside us for a while so that we can catch our breath.
All of us within the church are on a journey, and it takes each one of us to get to the finish line. It is not an individual effort; it is a community effort. Look around and think of the times when you are the one offering assistance, the one walking alongside, or the one being helped. God is part of each of these moments. He provides rest when needed, urges others to assist, and walks alongside us. We are church together, following God’s lead.
