Thoughts of a Mrs. Modern-day Mountain Woman Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Always look towards the Shinin’ times.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Until I was 13 years old, my family lived in town. Our town was small, only 1,500 people. It had street lights and house lights, but you could still see the stars at night. When I turned 13, my parents bought a house in the country. There is still, to this day, only my parent’s house and our one neighbor’s house on the whole road. Until my folks put in the street light, it would be really dark there at night. It was wonderful to see all the stars! When I went to college, I remember wishing for a bit of darkness and stars. It seemed as if there were people and lights everywhere. After I graduated college, I took my first “real job” at a camp in St. Louis, Missouri. Even though it was near a city, the camp was settled in the hills and forests of Missouri, which are thick and deep. At night, it could get really dark there. We would lead one of my favorite activities, night hikes. I loved being in the woods at night. I loved the smells, the sounds, and how different everything looked without a lamp. One lesson that an instructor taught me has always stuck with me. She told me to sense and remember the feeling of the ground beneath my feet. If I was walking in the dark on gravel, it would feel different than when I passed into a spot of grass or mulch. This knowledge would help guide my steps and keep me from wandering away from my intended goal or path. It also would help me know where the edge of a path was so I could be prepared for what was ahead or beside us.

Often in life, we plow ahead without feeling what is beneath our own feet. We stumble blindly through life, not taking the time to observe our surroundings. How often do we keep going, not realizing that the terrain is changing or that we have wandered off of our path without meaning to? How often do we keep plodding ahead on the same loop trail, not realizing that our intended purpose was to turn off of the loop and try a different direction? The mountain men of the past would look forward to the Shinin’ times, a time of goodness that would soon be upon them. While they looked forward to those times, they weren’t able to rush them. There is no amount of wishing that the sun will come up in the morning to warm you that will make it happen. They couldn’t wish the ice to melt on the rivers. They had to be patient and keep going and trying their best, all while looking forward to the better times that they knew would come.

A Light shining in the darkness.

Many times people in life, myself included, choose to keep plodding along on the same path with no hopes of improvement. They keep going on the same trail without changing or gaining any wisdom or knowledge, and without looking for the good to come. Some people, myself included, are willing to try the first new path that comes their way, just hoping that this path will be the “shinin’ times” that they are looking for. I believe there should be a balance in our life. My family has moved and started over a lot! There are times that I wish we were the settled farmers who work their land year after year. There are times that I am thankful that we are more of the mountain man family who travels from place to place to new and different jobs and experiences. Whether we are settled in one place for years, or at our stop for just a bit, we always find the “shinin’ times”. There are always good things to see and learn, good people to meet and befriend, and good chances to feel what path we are on and find ways to make the path smoother for others following behind us.

Jesus said He is the light of the world. Whoever follows him will never walk in darkness. When we use Jesus as our light, all darkness will flee. When we look towards Him as our true goodness, He will guide our paths. No matter where we may be, what job or mission we may be serving, and for whatever length of time we are there, we must look to Jesus as He is the best part of our life. Isaiah 42:16, “ ‘I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.” Wherever we go, whatever we do, let us look to the light of Christ, who is our very best and most important “shinin’ time” and in whom all paths will be made passable.