On Pigeon Creek – A Walk in the Woods
Judy and I went for a hike off the Blue Ridge Parkway in the North Carolina woods yesterday with our friends Marianne and Fred. It was a perfect day for a walk alongside Pigeon Creek which is next to Shining Creek. Here are some of the views we had along the path. A lot of metamorphic rocks (we picked up smooth pieces of garnet schist) rounded by the creek when it floods. Some of the outcrops had channels and shoots cut through them. Water is a powerful force when it is moving fast.
The water was crystal clear. We could see wild trout swimming around in the pools. Lots of 2- to 4-meter high waterfalls. The trees are huge in this part of the forest — some over 35 meters high. The sun filtered through the canopy dappling the forest floor with shafts of light. Marianne pointed out at least 20 wildflowers. Putty-root orchid, false-Soloman seal lily, Vasey’s trillium, speckled wood, and hearts-a-burstin are the names of some of the flowers we saw.
We walked together talking about random things, enjoying each other’s company and really amazed at the beauty surrounding us. We stopped along the creek at accessible places, wanting to jump into some of the pools but knowing that the water would be chilly (actually, about 45 degrees).
We were the only ones on the trail. The forest was filled with birdsong, the rushing water made a constant background sound. Otherwise, we were alone with our thoughts, apart from our conversation, which was part of the blessing. We shared the beauty of the day with each other, partly through the amazement we experienced around each bend of the creek.
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46: 10 NIV).
I think it is natural for Christians to feel close to God in a place like this. The Psalmist says “Be still”. I don’t believe that just means “don’t talk”. It could mean that, but along Pigeon Creek it meant disconnect from the crazy world that moves at a million miles an hour. Get away from man-made everything and just ‘rest’ in a place that really is His creation. Not that God isn’t in our cities. He is. It is just that sometimes we hear Him best when there is no man-made ambient noise at all. You know, ‘the still small voice’.
“Be still, and know” — it is easy in this place where you can be still to feel the presence of God all around. You just ‘know’ that God is there. He is God and He will be exalted on the earth. The beauty of this place really was powerful. I kept thinking that in some way we are spiritually and maybe even emotionally programmed to respond to this type of beauty with a sense of awe and wonder. It felt like worship to me. And the fact that I was with these friends and Judy just made the experience more satisfying.
God is not ‘in’ the trees, the creek, the sunlight, the water, or the rocks. These elements of the forest fit together into a ‘whole’ — a tapestry in a way. Each woven in some way into the other. Rocks were jumbled up in the stream, logs swept into the creek by floods looked ancient. Obviously, the trees need the sun to grow and the flowers bloomed in the protection of the undergrowth beneath the canopy. Trees were growing out of cracks in the rocks. The rocks lent texture to the creek and controlled where and how the water flowed. Ultimately, the stream will win — with time all the rock will be eroded and washed away.
God is not ‘in’ this tapestry of rocks, trees, water, sunlight, sky etc. He is God — He is the creator of all of this beauty. He is outside of His creation. But His character, His nature is manifested in the tapestry — light, power, beauty, life, interconnection, growth and change, motion, order and organization. And evidence that you didn’t want to be on the bank of that stream during a flood. Some of the boulders moved by that water were the sizes of small cars.
On this walk we entered another aspect of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is not only restoring our relationships with God the Father and with each other. He is also restoring our relationship with the earth — the earth as I experienced it on this walk. The place where, according to Revelation, we will all be resurrected. I had a sense that God brought us into this place on this day to tell us a few things: first, we had a choice. We could choose to be a part of this tapestry or we could leave our mark on it — we could say “this is mine. I can do what I want to it”. I don’t mean using forests wisely for the benefit of mankind — that is a good idea. I mean casually leaving our trash behind, pulling up flowers to plant in the flower bed at home (where they will most likely die), or leaving behind fire pits filled with melted aluminum cans, especially where fires are illegal. Stuff like that. And I felt the Lord say that to choose to be connected to His creation along that creek requires humility, which we all know we cannot manufacture in our own power. I don’t want to sound too much like a teenager, but on that walk I felt His holiness. And without thinking too much about it, I worshiped. I kept saying to myself “Thank you God for this place and these people”. Hallelujah!
Second, more than most people (as a geologist I have studied fluvial strata — that is, rocks deposited by rivers) I know that this idyllic place can quickly become a catastrophic torrent sweeping rocks and trees down the channel. As I said above, don’t go there when it rains hard. So, the other message God spoke to me along Pigeon Creek was about the impermanence of earthly beauty and love. What I took home with me was the message that God was present, that in all facets of my life He is telling me “I Am with you.” I am with you on the trail, I am with you in your car, and I am with you tomorrow, the next day, and the next, the next, on and on. No matter the circumstances.
Sometimes my walk with God will be like the day on Pigeon Creek. Other times it might be cold, dark, rainy, even painful. But in that walk He will also say “I Am with you”; and I hope, just as along Pigeon Creek, I can worship then as well. As Israel was preparing to cross over into the Promised Land, Moses gave this advice to Joshua: “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31: 8 NIV). And God promises”I will be your goodness in the land of the living” (Psalm 27: 13 NIV).
Isn’t it wonderful how a walk in the woods (or anywhere really) where we can get away from the noise of the world, allows us to hear God speak more clearly — how His words can encourage us, give us hope, peace, and joy in a very crazy world? Knowing that He, the Creator of the universe, is with me minute by minute, is a reason for hope and celebration. My work is to stay connected. And as I have said many times before, part of that work is repentance. As I stay connected, repentant, and faithful the same Power that created Pigeon Creek lives in me. “He will never leave me nor forsake me”.
In the beginning of this post I wrote that Pigeon Creek flows close to Shining Creek. Shining Creek reminds me of a song — ‘Shine Jesus, Shine’. Here are some of the words:
“Shine, Jesus shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory. Blaze, Spirit blaze, set our hearts on fire. Flow, river flow, flood the nations with grace and mercy. Send forth your word, Lord and let there by light.”
Jesus, I pray that we will all see your glory, the outstreaming manifestation of your beauty. I pray that no matter our circumstances today, you will transport us to a place of peace and hope like I experienced along the banks of a stream in North Carolina. Lord, wash us in living water, and let that stream flow from our hearts into the world around us in Your power and for Your name — the name above every name — Jesus. Lord, be exalted in all the earth.
Grace and peace from a slightly sore, tired hiker,
John