Trusting His Heart: What I Learned in the Wilderness

Setting out on our first day. It was beautiful weather.

Last week I went to The Algonquin Provincial Park in Canada with Clint. It was my second time going up north but going with Clint was a special time. This was something that Clint had been dreaming of for years… going to the wilderness of the Algonquin with me. Years ago God spoke to him about connecting with me while spending time with Him in the wilderness. It was then that God brought us together. So this year it finally worked out for us to go together.

I learned a few things while being in the wilderness this year. Being in the wilderness with the Creator is refreshing. It is also a place where He speaks clearly. Clint has always said to me “God is in Canada.”.

Some things that I learned…

The first night the moon was a Super
Moon. It was so bright!

Obedience to God is vital in my walk with him. When life is fuzzy and out of balance, it’s time to go away with Him. Life has been crazy busy the past few months and in reality, quite stressful. It was time to get away from it all and focus on God. It was time to be disconnected from the rest of the world and be where God is, without distractions. It’s refreshing.

Being obedient is hard sometimes! Nothing within me wanted to go on this trip. It meant that I was going to miss out on events that I had been looking forward to and wanted to do as a mom. I was sad to miss the soccer games and a retreat with my daughter’s classmates. I felt like I was being a bad mom by not being there for my kids, even when they said it was ok.

I didn’t want to spend a week in the wilderness. I like the comforts of my warm, dry home … with a clean bathroom available at any time. I didn’t feel like I was physically fit enough to carry a 35# backpack plus a 40# canoe on my shoulders through the woods. Canoeing for miles on top of that felt like too much. Even as I didn’t want to go, I knew that I needed to go.

Hearing the voice of God in the wilderness is powerful. I had a conversation with Him about the weather while I was spending time with him at the first campsite. His response to me asking for good weather was, “I will give you what you need”. This concerned me a little but didn’t scare me. In the end, He really did give us exactly what we needed… at the right time and the right place. It was amazing to watch Him move.

The first few days was beautiful weather with sunshine and warmth. On the third day it rained in the evening and during the night with lots of wind. On the fourth day it was extremely windy all day. On fifth day we had cool, dry weather with great waters for paddling across the lakes and the longest day of the week. It was exactly what we needed. On the last day we woke up to a steady rain. It stopped while we were packing up camp and then started again on the last lake. All week the wind was on our backs! It was amazing! All of the weather patterns were exactly what we needed. God was so gracious and merciful to us.

God’s creativity is above and beyond what we can ever imagine! Being in the wilderness and seeing his creation can take you to a place of being in awe of his glory and majesty. I had no idea there were so many shades of green. Coming out of the wilderness and seeing the turning of the leaves into beautiful colors was breathtaking. It was all around us. Being in the middle of a large lake with the mist coming off the water and surrounded by trees of all kinds is simply gorgeous.

Our physical strength isn't always enough to get through the tough times. We also need mental and spiritual strength. There were countless times when I asked God to give me strength. He always did. There are times when my physical body didn’t want to do it anymore. I didn’t know that I had enough strength and endurance to keep going. On the first two portages I didn’t think I could do it. I was finally able to get through the wall of resistance on the second portage and God gave me what I needed to get it done. When we are able to perform outside of our own strength, we can do all things through Christ. This is a decision, a choice. Will I do it on my own or allow Him to give me the strength that I need to get through the wall of “I can’t do this!”? The feeling of being on the other side of that wall is indescribable! There is nothing like it. I felt like I could do anything. Carrying a backpack and a canoe at the same time became doable and the sense of accomplishment is huge. It’s not always easy to stay on the other side of the wall, but I’ve learned that it’s a choice.

“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

Spending a week in the wilderness with my husband is good for us. It’s good for our relationship. It’s good to be reminded that we work very well together and leading together is one of our strengths. It was like a breath of fresh air to be with him all day, every day, leading with him. I am called to lead with my husband. I am called to be his partner, his cheerleader, his helpmate. I love him!

Being with Clint in a place that he loves to be and longs to be has brought me to a place of a new respect and appreciation for him. For years he has had a passion for the wilderness in Canada and now I know why. He can breathe when he’s there. He thrives in that environment. He thoroughly enjoys being there… in God’s country. He longs to hear God’s voice when he’s there. He clearly hears His voice when he’s in the midst of His raw creation. I love it when God speaks to my husband and he responds with obedience. It was good for me to be in the thick of it all with my husband.

Yes, that's me under the canoe. :)

Hearing my husband’s voice behind me and beside me when I didn’t think I could do it anymore was powerful. He made me feel like I could conquer the world. Clint didn’t take the canoe from me when I wanted him to, when I felt defeated. Instead of taking it, he pushed me to do it and encouraged me through it. He wanted me to feel that sense of accomplishment in the end. He believed in me like no one ever has. He saw a strength in me that I didn’t think was there at the time (even though I had done it before). I didn’t feel strong but my husband knew that I was. To have my life partner believe in me when I didn’t believe in myself was what I needed. I have much to be grateful for.

Here are a few extra pictures. We went with our friends, Josh and Kait. They are in our young adult group at church and both like adventure. It was a great week of getting to know them and see God move in their lives.