Last Christmas our extended family went camping, which is something we often do together. (And by camping, I really mean ‘glamping’! Sometimes we literally take the kitchen sink!)
We were camping in tents by the beach, in the dunes, doing a mixture of adventuring and relaxing. Everything was going great, until one night.
That night, I went to sleep as usual. Then I woke up to use the toilet. This is my least favourite part of camping – the long trek to the long drop in the middle of the night.
As I trudged along to the toilet, I stared at the ground, my head torch pointing down. No worries. I made it to the long drop with no dramas. On my way back to my tent, I stared at the ground again, my head torch lighting the way.
And then I saw it. The one thing I had been dreading, yet straining my eyes to search for on every trip down the worn path. A ‘stick’ that moved. I had been watching each stick on the path like a hawk honing in on its prey. Except this time, I felt like I might be the prey. Each time I had previously stared at a stick it did what it was supposed to – stay still.
But not this time. What I saw was a small, dark ‘stick’ ribboning its way towards me on the path a few metres ahead. One of my greatest fears was slithering my way on the path in the middle of the night – a snake! I froze. But I couldn’t stay frozen for long. It was gliding towards me with no concern for my fear. I knew I had to do something or it would be upon me.
I looked around, using my head torch to quickly try and see my options. There was a bush on one side – not really anywhere to go, and on the other side, there was long grass. Up ahead, beyond the snake, was a tree that had a waist-high low-hanging branch. I looked back to the long grass, then to the snake. My fear of snakes had taught me to avoid long grass at all costs. However, looking at my options, I could see that there was a snake on the path in front of me still coming towards me. There might be a snake in the long grass (hopefully not the baby snake’s mother!).
I had to take my chances.
With a great rush, I dashed off the path, into the long grass, around where the snake was slithering. Once past it, I didn’t dare slow down. I tore as fast as I could back to the camp, diving under the low-hanging branch, and racing into the camp kitchen area where I thought I would hopefully be safe.
It took me a while to calm down, once I was safely back in my tent. Finally, I dropped off to sleep. The next morning, I told my family about what had happened. My sister said that during the night, she had gone to the toilet barefoot and without a head torch! I was thankful that the snake hadn’t timed its trip differently!
What would’ve happened if I didn’t have my head torch? What if I hadn’t been vigilantly straining my eyes in the torchlight to check if each stick stayed still or moved?
My experience that night reminded me of a few important things to remember in our spiritual lives.
1. It’s vital to stay alert.
The apostle Peter reminds us to ‘Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.’ (1 Peter 5:8, NLT). Satan is trying to break our relationship with God. He has chosen to go against God and he wants us to do the same, and reject God’s unbelievably generous and merciful gift of salvation. This sounds very discouraging, which is why it is important to remember that God hasn’t left us to deal with these attacks alone, and that…
2. God is faithful.
In 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NLT), we are reminded that ‘… the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen [us] and guard [us] from the evil one.’ Paul tells us in Romans 8:31 that, ‘…If God is for us, who can ever be against us?’ We don’t have to walk our spiritual journeys alone – God is with us! He is faithful!
3. We need to use the weapons that God has provided us with.
Just as I used the head torch at night to light up the way on the path before me, we need to use the weapons that God has given us to successfully navigate life on this planet. Psalm 119:105 (NLT) reminds us that ‘[God’s] word is a lamp to guide [our] feet and a light for [our] path.’ Ephesians 6:10-17 also outlines the armour we need daily – armour provided by God alone.
While it wasn’t pleasant facing one of my greatest fears that night while camping, I am grateful for the lessons that came with this experience. Most of all, I am thankful for the reminder that our God walks beside us every step of the way!