A walk to work - Sammy Poole

I am in the girls cabin on the side of a Colorado mountain about to head out to the crisp cold to start my work day. I have my backpack, check.

Radio is here and on, check. My keys on a carabiner, clipped to my jeans, check. Now to get my gloves and boots on. Okay, ready to head out. I open the door to a clear morning. Deep breath, this air is so fresh. I walk down the stairs and a breeze sweeps by, woo! Shiver. I now carefully begin my walk down the road, cautioning the ice below my feet. Don’t fall, don’t fall…. Okay, here is some pavement. It is safe to look up, wow. Hidden between the trees, colors of pink, blue, orange, and red explode in the sky, and the mountains look strong, sturdy, majestic, and just as colorful as the sky! 

A side note: A few of the jobs as a Horn Creek fellow is cooking and serving. To get to one of the kitchens I have to walk across camp in the morning. Some mornings are colder than others, but always beautiful. 

I continued down the road and the morning walk reminded me of all the walks I have had in the past. When I was growing up I lived in a small town where I could walk anywhere in town in just about 15 minutes. I would walk to school, church, the grocery store, the park, you name it! Of course there would be times where I would just walk around town too! Quick shift to the next stage in my life, I think of my time in college where there too I would walk to class, the cafeteria, events, and so on. I would go on long walks around campus some on my own and others with my friends beside me as we talked about life. Now I was here on the side of a mountain still going on walks. Walks have been consistent in my life, similar to the Lord who has been by my side through each of these stages. It was sweet to remember those moments because sometimes that is not easy to remember. 

Lord, help me to remember. 

I smiled to myself when my thoughts shifted to when I first came to Colorado to start the summer as a counselor with Sigma Junior. I had a broken foot! A few months before I came to Horn Creek I slipped on a longboard and broke my left foot. I was limping everywhere and it was a symbol of the journey that I would begin to step into at Horn Creek. 

This season has revealed more of my brokenness and need for the Lord. The summer and the fellowship has shown me the path I was walking now and the path I should be walking. Conviction whirled around me and hit me right in the heart. I am not running the race I should be running in right now. And I was tired. I put my head down, hands in my pocket and a prayer stirred within me: Lord, break me and carry me, teach me to walk again on the path where you are walking. Help me to run in the race I am supposed to run. But also remind me that you are with me the whole way. This would not only mean a change in my actions, but my heart. Oof. This will be a LONG walk, a hike even, maybe up the steepest, longest, and craziest mountain! But I have not done this alone. God has provided his presence, my sweet 13 friends (aka accountability pals, fellow truth seekers, and family), the full-time staff that invest so well into us, class, hard work, and memories that will last a lifetime. Each of these have been a contribution to the shift in the way I walk and where I walk. The Lord, in this season, has been teaching me to not only live out the truth, but to believe it, treasure it, and run toward it. He is the truth, the way, and the life and I will run the race he calls me to run with him by my side.   

Teach me your way, O LORD , that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. Psalm 86:11

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great cloud of witness, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and it seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

Alright, almost to the kitchen. Time to start work, this will be a tough stroll, but time to start another day of living knowing the gospel is true and alive. I have failed a lot but, I trust you, Lord. May this day be a picture of your grace and truth. Amen.

Grace and Peace,

Sammy Poole
XIV Horn Creek Fellow