Our last hike was a
loop around Sprague Lake. I stopped to
read one of the placards giving the history of this area. The lake was named for Abner Sprague, who
homesteaded that area in 1874 and later opened a lodge for vacationers. The placard included a quote from Sprague "
...there are those you can call nothing but
tourists. Those that go tearing from coast to coast and back again on their
vacations are tourists. When they reach home from their travels they are not
certain where they saw this or that...". These words struck a little too close to
home, and I found myself mulling them over the rest of the day. I’m sure Sprague would consider me a
tourist. I have this obsession with
squeezing as much into a trip as possible.
I’d never considered it a bad thing until looking at it from Sprague’s
perspective. He encouraged visitors to
spend extended periods of time in his lodge, which enabled them to become
intimately familiar with the surrounding mountains, nearby streams, and hoards
of wildlife. By the time these visitors
left, they had detailed experiences and memories that would stay with them long
after they returned home.
As we wound our way through the mountains and back home, I
started to think about Sprague’s comment in a different way. Am I also a tourist when it comes to
God? Am I so busy getting through my
bible study chapter for the day that I miss hearing His voice? Am I rushing into church service at the bell,
only to rush out to pick up antsy and hungry kids? Am I missing becoming intimately familiar with God by rushing through my
spiritual life? I guess it’s time to
slow down and take in the views, whether it is a mountain lake or words in the
Bible. I don’t want to miss a thing….
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