That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NKJV)
In 1937 the Appalachian Trail (AT) was completed. Earl Shaffer, trail name, “The Crazy One,” was the first to make the claim of thru-hiking the entire AT from end to end in 1948.
I began my journey on the AT, August 8, 2011 and nineteen section hikes later I concluded it on October 21, 2019. As of September 2018, almost 20,000 people have hiked the entire AT.
Most of my section hikes were one week-long. That included my traveling time as well as my hiking.
When I was reasonably close to our daughter’s home (New Hampshire through Pennsylvania), I would hike five days and spend a little time with her and the grand-kids before heading home.
My shortest trip was when I was completing New Jersey and entering Pennsylvania (or as most AT’ers call it, Rocksilvania). I developed a bad case of shin splints traversing all the rocks and had to get off early. I traveled 77 miles on that four-day trip.
My longest section hike was my last one from North Carolina to the southern terminus, Springer Mountain in Georgia. I hiked 290.4 miles in 16 days.
My average miles for my 19 section hikes were 114.7 miles. New Hampshire was the state where I covered the fewest daily miles. Virginia was the state where I covered the most daily miles. My actual days of hiking were 119, averaging 18.3 miles per day. 2 miles was my shortest day, and 34 miles was my biggest day. My daily goal was to cover at least 20 miles, and I was able to make that goal most days.
Besides the unavoidable blisters, hot spots, leg cramps, sprains, rashes, bumps, bruises, cuts, scrapes, insect bites, rattlesnake scares, sore and aching muscles, my only major injuries, besides my pride when I made some big and brain dead mistakes, was a badly sprained ankle in New Hampshire, and shin splints in Vermont and Pennsylvania. I only cut my hike short with the shin splints.
One hike ended early on a sad note. I was in Vermont when two state troopers came on the trail to find me and tell me my Dad had died of a heart attack. (I was using a personal locator to communicate my whereabouts with my wife, Anne, every day so they were able to walk right up to my tent.)
Now I have shared all these uninspiring stats to emphasize our verse that “there is nothing new under the sun.”
The AT was established in 1937, but obviously it was nothing new. It is the same kind of thing that has been going on since Adam and Eve as they walked from one place to another on the paths in the Garden of Eden.
The AT is just another path that people travel. The only difference is the “wrapper.” It is the AT and not the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), or some ancient trail Moses or Abraham walked on through the wilderness.
So, if there is nothing new about hiking the AT why go through all the challenges it requires of every hiker who elects to tread upon it? What is there to gain? Or for that reason, if there is nothing new to do “under the sun” at all, and we are all doing the same kinds of things everyone else has done, where is the pizzazz in living life then? Is there any seasoning for life to be found in the same old, same old!?
God certainly makes it clear that what we do in life, whether good or evil, has a great impact upon our present earthly life and an even greater impact upon our future eternal life. Ecclesiastes 12:14 is absolutely clear about that, God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. (NLT)
Not only must we be selective concerning our actions and thoughts, but God is also just as clear about the fact that WHY we do what we do impacts everything as well.
God warns us in Matthew 6:2–4, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (ESV)
Do you see now where the oompah in life is?! It is principally in the WHY behind the good we do, not the WHAT, as important as what we do is. It is not from living “under the sun,” in one’s own strength, to one’s own wishes and for one’s own gain. It is in living “above the sun,” through the Lord’s strength, to His will and for His gain!
Now it does not matter how small or big a matter it is. It does not matter how many times it has been done in the past. It is WHY we do the good and wholesome things we do is where the spark in life comes from. If anyone gives you even a cup of water (or a thousand cups every day), because (for the reason that) you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded (every single time). Mark 9:41 (NLT) Anything that catches God’s attention and favor is worth living and enjoying every day, time after time. It is where we will find the life-giving energy and fulfillment we seek!
Thinking we must find something or someone NEW to put some pizzazz in our life is bound to lead us down a disheartening path. We will spend our life searching for something that does not exist; we will only find new “wrappers” trying to camouflage the same old, same old. But wisely and purposefully taking our generational turn at utilizing the same old, same old in life and living it “above the sun” is what animates life, making it not only worth living, but a joy to live.
When we hike down our daily trails to church, to home, to work, to school, to the store, or anywhere else we may go, may we realize that we are taking our turn in the cycle of life. It is our turn to take all the same old, same old that is “under the sun” and make good on the opportunity to transform as much of it as we can into the extraordinary by living “above the sun.” Every day we have an opportunity to turn wood, hay and stubble into gold, silver and precious stones, (1 Corinthians 3:9-15). How quickly we would turn wood, hay and stubble into gold if we could do it literally for earthly gain that we could lose in an instant. How much the more should we jump at the chance to do it spiritually for heavenly gain that we can never lose!
Faith Aids 