Inquisitive Adventures

We continued our trip through North and South Carolina and made our way to DuPont for more hiking. We have visited this place before and often return, too. This time, we hiked the High Falls Trail and then visited Triple Falls. We hiked this trail twice on our trip. One day, my husband and I did it alone, then we were able to share it with family later in the week.

What I want to focus on for this post is something I often forget: the sound of water. This should not be surprising when hiking toward a waterfall. Depending on its size, they’re often not quiet. As we hiked, I was suddenly hit by the transition from quiet to the sound of the waterfall raging in the distance. I think if there had been too much noise, or if we had been too loud, we would have missed it.

I did something different as we walked. I focused my attention on its sound, grounding myself in its rhythmic rushing, and felt a sense of peace.

I was reminded of Psalm 42:1, which says, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.”

Similarly, as a deer searches for water because it needs it to survive, so do people, both literally and metaphorically. As I listened to the waterfall, I thought of how we try to satisfy our needs with things that weren’t meant to fulfill us. I think that is one of the great deceptions of our world. I think I have shared this before, but I think our culture has turned to distraction instead of feeling and experiencing life and all the complicated emotions that come with it. We fill voids with unhealthy habits that, in the end, leave us parched and thirsty for more. We were created for a relationship with God, and only He can truly quench the thirst of our souls.

C.S. Lewis once said, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

I think one of the things I love most about Jesus is that He is always there. Patiently present. He desires nothing more than for us to sit with Him, if we allow Him. As I followed the sound of water through the forest, I was reminded that His presence is often like that. Not absent, but waiting to be noticed. In a world full of distractions and competing voices, perhaps part of following Him is learning to listen.