Under the Bridge
If one walks out of Penetanguishene towards the west there is the beautiful beginning of the Tiny Trail system. (https://maps.simcoe.ca/Trails/?TRAIL=TinyTrail) The portion of this 23 km trail which is just outside of Penetang has several hills and a number of crossings which make up the "Copeland Creek Bridges." Since we moved to the area in late summer 2015 my boys have loved to go out on the trail and explore the creek around those bridges. Each season brings with it different challenges and discoveries for them.
A couple of weeks ago I was walking the trail enjoying the solitude and a podcast. I was observing the creek and the trail and the bridges. I was working hard to notice what I often just walk past. I came to the end of one of the bridges and looked down towards the creek. It isn't deep. I noticed the way branches grew across it and how a few rocks stood above the flow of the water. I looked at different vegetation that grew down the side of the sloped embankment. I thought about going down to explore the unseen area under the bridge. I thought about the joy I saw in my boys when they scramble down to the underside of the bridges to explore God's creation. Then I thought about my own voice calling after them when they do.
"Be careful!"
"Don't go there!"
"Step back from the water! You're going to get your shoes wet!"
"Just stay on the trail!"
In that moment I was forced to consider some questions about myself. Where did I go? When did I lose the joy? When did the love of discovery give way to fear? When did wonder give way to wariness? When did courage give way to caution?
When I was a boy I loved to go off the beaten track. I loved to climb. I loved to jump and run and hang and see. (It was this love of adventure that caused my only ever visit to the Midland hospital as a patient when my family was in the area on vacation some 35 years ago or so!)
But somewhere along the lines, I stopped discovering, risking, trying, climbing, exploring, dreaming. I stopped going down the slope to see the really cool stuff under the bridge - in the flow of the water - the stuff you can't enjoy if you just stay on the well-worn path.
It is easy for all of us to lose the love of discovery and risk and, in the process, lose the joy that comes with it. Maybe it's because we, or someone we love, got hurt. Or maybe it was because it caused an inconvenience that we'd rather not endure. It's easy for an organization . . . like, say, a church . . . to want to stick to the well-worn roads because they are safe and comfortable. But what are we missing out on if we aren't willing to take some chances?
We may miss out on some pain, that is true. We may miss out on getting our feet a little wet. But we may also miss out on some amazing laughs, joy, and discovery of some wonderful things God has made!
As you go through this week, what steps of childlike exploration might God be inviting you into? Perhaps it starts by saying yes to an opportunity you feel has passed you by. Perhaps it involves you taking a risk you normally wouldn't because it might be "unsafe." Perhaps it starts by saying yes to getting on the floor to play a game with your kids or grandkids even though you aren't sure how you're going to get up. I pray you will have a good laugh, discover (or rediscover) something wonderful, and receive a gift of joy as you do!