Article April 2, 1990 Issue

Mountain switchbacks and gospel gates

We may not always know the way to go when we face decisions. But as we trustingly turn to God, we will gain a clearer perception of how to proceed.

Diane Ethel Witters

On a trail high up in the Rocky Mountains, my husband and I were hiking to a pass. There we knew we would be treated to spectacular views of Snowmass Mountain and the snow-fringed peaks of the Maroon Bells. But after a couple of hours the trail narrowed and became strewn with boulders and fallen pines. We felt sure the way must lie straight ahead because we saw nowhere else to go. The longer we struggled, however, the clearer it became that we had somehow strayed from our original course.

When we decided to retrace our steps carefully, we found a place where the main trail cut sharply back 180 degrees in the opposite direction. Then, in a series of additional switchbacks, it led gradually, steadily up the mountain. We had been so occupied with our preconceived notion of where the trail should be that we had mistakenly followed a smaller, diverging path.

Since this experience I've often thought about the parallels between our efforts to find a way up the mountain that day and what it means to listen for God's guidance as we face daily choices and make decisions. At times when I have felt a willful determination to forge ahead in accord with my cherished human plans, a simple prayer to God has helped me to pause and consider what He would have me do.

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