“We need the tonic of wildness...At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never...
This is where I first realized the overwhelming factor of the outdoors is the SCALE! Everything where we live, cities, etc, is human scale…3 ft. wide doors, steps to accommodate human foot traffic, 8 ft. ceilings. All of this human engineering gives me the idea that I’m in charge of this human scale world and my human scale problems then become giant.
Most backcountry enthusiasts follow the mantra, “leave no trace.” Like the attitudes we cop when we have to “share the trail” with someone who is doing something different than us, I was reminded on the trail this past weekend that our sin can also leave a measurable impression. Like so many spiritual metaphors, time in the outdoors is a wikipedia of object lessons. We may think we are without sin or our rebellion only affects ourselves but more likely our behavior leaves a trail “littered with loose debris.”
Like the contrast between bright snow and gray granite peaks, as I spend time with Jesus in the darkness of the morning, I am continually reminded that the Living Word of the biblical text is a drastic contrast to the regular diet of external worldly voices and internal doubts that I entertain everyday.
Saint Patrick’s Day (March 17th) commemorates the day of a legendary leader and missionary to Ireland named Patricius. He poured out his heart for the Irish people from 438AD onward until the day he died. And Celtic Spirituality (which is highly Creation-oriented) today owes its origins to the Biblical teaching and spirituality of Patrick and the first Irish Christian converts.
