Travelling you may be – but not on your own!

I used to love walking and climbing on my own; I’ve camped and walked in the Cairngorms on my own, walked alone in Snowdonia, and even enjoyed the odd alpine peak on my own. Now before you shout ‘That’s stupid!’, I’ll put my hand up and confess it wasn’t exactly wise, or even best practice for the hills. The question is always hanging there –‘What would have happened if …..?’ And you would be quite right to ask that question. Being alone in potentially dangerous places is hardly a good recipe for a safe life.
Walking with a friend in Snowdonia in more recent years we came across a lone walker on a cloudless, windless, really hot day. He was wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, trainers, and carried no water. It was patently obvious that he was distressed and lost on the mountain – and pretty dehydrated. Fortunately, we were carrying 4 litres of water each, so we spent time refreshing him and putting him on the right path.
It is so much better to travel in company, and that applies to walking as a Christian too. God never intended us to walk alone through the difficulties of life. We travel as church together, refreshing, encouraging, correcting and strengthening each other. Everything in this letter of Peter shouts at us ‘Don’t walk on your own!’ God has given each one of us gifts to be used to serve one another as we journey in our Christian lives.