Back to the summer camp in the New Mexico Mountains that I wrote about on Monday.
HIKING
One of the fun activities for campers was to go on hikes. Once or twice each week the counselors would take their campers hiking.
I would hurry, as the Pots & Pans Washer, to get the kitchen cleaned up so I could go on the afternoon hike.
INCREDIBLE VIEWS
The hikes always took us to a places with amazing views. Once we arrived we rested, or explored a bit, until it was time to head back to camp.
On one beautiful mountain day at a magnificent vista were some hikers who were there when we arrived. There were four of them and they were sitting at the edge of a high cliff looking at whatever there was to be seen. One of the counselors and I walked over to say hello. They seemed surprised by our presence and were not in a chatty mood. They seemed familiar to the counselor, he smiled visited for just a moment and then we walked back to our group and back to camp.
They were interesting to see. They were relatively young, I guessed maybe in their 20’s and had long hair and were wearing things that seemed odd to me. They wore old ratty jeans, hiking books, vests and had head bands. They wore bracelets of silver and leather and they sat there at the edge of the mountain, quiet and still.
BACK TO CAMP
As we walked along I sidled up to the counselor and asked if he knew those guys. He said, “I don’t know them personally, but I know who they are.”
It turned out that they were a rock band, and a famous one at that. Being 14 I didn’t know much about rock bands, but Milton, the counselor was very excited that he got to talk with them.
THAT NIGHT
So that night, after washing the evening meal pots and pans, I got cleaned up and ready for the devotional. The guys in the band had long hair and wore leather head bands. So, I unlaced a leather lace from one of my hiking boots and wrapped it around my head and tied it in a bow at the back. UhHuh.
I thought I looked really cool. Mind you I had a buzz cut hair style, and there wasn’t a hair on my head that any chance of falling into my eyes. I walked up to Milton and he said, “What is that on your head?” I said, “Its my hair band.” He said, “Why are you wearing it.” And I said “To keep the hair out of my eyes.” Then he said, “You look ridiculous, take that dumb thing off.”
I did.
TO CLOSE
I didn’t really know what cool looked like and I really wasn’t the kind of kid who looked to rock bands to imitate their look.
Eventually, I learned that my identity, values, and choices needed to be influenced by better sources, beginning with my relationship to God of holiness and righteousness. My life didn’t need to reflect whatever was popular at the moment. It wasn’t from the world that I needed to base my life, but on things eternal.
Besides, I needed to put the lace back in the boot for the next hike.
Shalom
Rick Fyffe 