Hiking Through: One Man's Journey to Peace and Freedom on the Appalachian Trail

by Paul V. Stutzman

Of course, in my case, the shock treatment was probably necessary, because my fear of the unknown was greater than any discomfort in the present. It’s why we often stay in jobs we don’t find fulfilling and why people stay in abusive situations; we are frozen in place, unable to give up our known misery even for the promise of a happier tomorrow.

In this mix of churchology, I formed early beliefs and learned lessons about life and leadership. It was very clear that my outward appearance mattered more than my inward condition. Sure, we were taught “salvation,” but salvation was contingent on obedience to a strict regimen of rules. The straight and narrow path that was intended to deliver me to life everlasting seemed as narrow and precarious as a balance beam.

We spend a lifetime working hard to accumulate homes and possessions that we believe are vital for comfort and security, only to discover those material accumulations are quite meaningless in our darkest hour of sadness and need.

I reflected on past weeks and all I’d observed about people and myself. In one month, I had gained more insights on life than I had in many, many years past. I’d traveled the sad road of death and grieving; it was time to find my path back to life and living. My mind had finally released the accumulation of years of job-related stress and now felt as clear as the spring by my campsite.

Something that has been eluding me for years has finally overtaken me. Contentment. I’ve been living life too fast. But now that I’m traveling at two miles per hour, contentment has caught up with me. God, why do we make our lives so difficult, trying to find contentment?

When I started my AT hike and planned to write a book about the experience, that was all I intended to write: the walk, the adventure, a few observations about life. I never had any intention of writing a “spiritual” book; but then, I also had no idea that I would lose my religion and become spiritual. I tell you this—dialogue with God is available to you, to anyone. And furthermore, God actually desires conversation with us.

To my Christian friends: If people observe your daily life, would they say, “I want what he has”? We Christians should be the happiest folks in the world, with what we know about life in the hereafter. Why are we often seen as the most downtrodden, dismal, and judgmental people around? It’s no wonder the world doesn’t want what we offer. Maybe we need to remind ourselves of what we really do have.