Grassy Ridge Bald on Roan Mountain

 Grassy Ridge Bald on Roan Mountain "Blazing My Trail"

In the past year I've taken some significant (for me) day hikes. A recent trek to Grassy Ridge Bald on Roan Mountain involved serious climbing up a steep Appalachian Trail. Another hike to Rock Creek Falls in Unicoi County found me huffing and puffing more than I'd like to admit. In most of these hikes there has been a reward for the effort, and I have returned home satisfied each time.

Earlier this week I took on another kind of trail. The Guest River Gorge Trail is 5.8 miles in length; I did 3 miles on a beautiful late-July day, totaling 6 for the hike. This trail involved no climbing to speak of; it was uniformly wide and had only a gradual, gentle slope. It was almost as if someone had deliberately made the trail easy.

In fact, the trail was once the roadbed for the Norfolk & Southern Railroad, which used this spur to haul coal from one point to another. In 1988 the tracks were taken up and the roadbed became a recreational trail. In the three or four times I've walked on it, I've envisioned men from long ago swinging picks and shoveling rocks as they carved this road through the rugged mountain terrain. My trail is smooth because of their labors.

My ultimate journey, however, involves the most serious climbing of all; I'm aiming to one day find myself in the actual presence of my Creator. Is such a goal possible?

For a long time the answer to that last question was "No". Even in the days of the temple in Jerusalem, coming into the presence of God was unthinkable. "... the way into the Holiest of All [the symbolic abode of God on earth] was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing" (Hebrews 9:8). People could only stand outside the temple and imagine standing before God.

Christ, however, has blazed a trail for me: "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh ... let us draw near" (Hebrews 10:19-22). It is now possible for any of us - through Christ - to stand before God with confidence!

Why would I want to go there? Jesus said He was going "to prepare a place" for His followers. When asked how to get there, Jesus responded: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:3- 6). Jesus is the trail to heaven, blazed at great personal expense to Him.

My day hikes through the woods are nice. But my lifelong journey to heaven is far more significant than any other trip I'll make. I must take the one path Jesus prepared.

Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you'd like to discuss these ideas further.

Timothy D. Hall