Something special

Normally, I would have shared this following set of images as part of an “extras” page. I’ve been hiking so much the past few years, that most of my hikes don’t get their own page anymore; I just lump them all together. However, this hike, this morning, was something special. Per usual, I was doing some ride share driving one morning and at sunrise, I was struck very deeply that I should stop and go for a hike. Sometimes I brush off this urging but this time, it was clear. Stop and hike. I went to AllTrails, as always, and just picked a trail nearby. Something spiritual was at work because I arrived at the Michael D. Antonovich Trail in San Simas and just…moved. I felt like I was really being pushed onto the trail by God. I’ll let the images show it, but it was a beautiful way to start the day.

It wasn’t until the next day that I made a connection with the moment. It was a such a peaceful and beautiful experience, and then God struck me again with more meaning behind it. I’ve struggled with focusing this year. At the beginning of the year, as I do most years, I made a list of the big goals and visions that I see and feel are coming for the year. After that, I kind of let God take the wheel. Overall, I’m pushing to create a life of full time artistry. I’m a pretty faithful, borderline prideful person. I could tell you so many stories of spiritual epiphanies and the lighting bolts and earthquakes of great ideas and life shifts that God has provided and created in my life. He speaks to me. He has spoken to me many times before. More than I’d like lately, I find myself in a holding pattern, in a place of not hearing from God exactly how to build and move my life forward. I’ve had to call myself out and ask, “am I really listening? How focused am I?”

So again, the day following this hike, I really rejoiced and felt reassured by God, because there is a scripture from the Bible that came to mind. It is Isaiah 43: 19, and it reads:

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

It is the words, “I will even make a way in the wilderness” that really hit my heart, because it was such a literal takeaway from the hike. I feel like this hike was God’s way of saying, “Don’t worry. I’ve still got you.” He’s doing a new thing.

Video (and audio)

I usually don’t shoot a lot of videos while hiking, maybe something quick for Instagram from time to time, but really I’m always there for the stills. But for this hike, I ended up capturing some footage with the D90. Such a great ambiance, and be sure to listen for frogs…