Introduction

"Whose woods these are I think I know.."

From the first time my class read "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" in ninth grade English, Robert Frost has been one of my favorite poets, and this poem is my favorite. I remember having the discussion in class about the symbolism in the poem, and I have always felt that Frost was referring to God when he said "Whose woods these are I think I know." All the forests in all the world belong to God, and we are just blessed to stop by for a short time.

When we bought our property 18 years ago, the back portion of the land had been cleared and only a few scrubby trees were growing. Over time, those scrubby trees have grown and filled in most of the cleared land, and we almost never set foot on half of the land we own. Recently, Angie (my nature loving wife) came up with a plan to clear a walking path through our back woods, and she assumed I would think she was crazy. Since I started working from home a few months ago, I have needed a way to get up and move around every so often, so I was on board with Angie's plan, and to be completely honest, I might have been more excited about the idea of a walking path through the woods than she was!

It didn't really take us too long to clear out some underbrush and rake back some leaves and pine needles to create a 0.2-mile long loop through the woods. The path has a good combination of flat terrain and some hills, it has some sunny spots and some shady areas, and best of all, it is just outside our back gate.

Originally, I started walking the path as a way to get a little exercise during an otherwise sedentary work day. I would walk a lap or two before getting started to work, another lap mid-morning, then another at lunch time. In the evening, Angie and I get in five laps to make a mile. There is no doubt of the health benefits of having this path through the woods, but what I didn't expect was how this path would help me grow closer to God.

Not long ago, on a work trip to Phoenix, I had a lot on my mind and some time to fill. I decided to take a walk through the streets of the city to think. I ended up talking to God as I meandered, and when I say that I was talking to God, I mean a literal, out loud conversation. (Thank goodness for AirPods so people wouldn't think I was some lunatic talking to myself as I walked down the street.) That experience gave me a whole new way of praying. As a matter of fact, I would hardly call it praying--I am just having a conversation with my Father.

One morning, as I walked along our path through the God's woods, I started talking to God out loud again (not loud enough for our distant neighbors to hear, by the way), and my new favorite way to connect spiritually was born. Since that first morning, I have found much peace in walking and talking with God. Some mornings, I have a lot on my mind that I want to tell God about. Other mornings, I have a lot on my mind that I want to listen to God tell me.

My goal in this new blog series is to record what I have learned and how I am growing closer to God on my daily walks. This series will probably be the most personal of all my writings because I will be revealing some of my deepest concerns that I am carry on these walks. Other than being in order by date, I don't expect the blog posts to necessarily even be related to one another because I won't know what God and I talk about until after it happens. In any case, you are welcome to join me while Walking in God's Woods.