A few years ago, I walked the Appalachian Trail. Well, not all of it. In truth, I only traversed about 3 miles of the 2,000-mile path that runs from Mount Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia.

It turns out, hiking the AT (as we hikers like to call it) is REALLY hard. What I’d hoped would be a 5-day adventure into the wilds of the Smokey Mountains ended up being a miserable 5-hour trudge up steep hills with 50 pounds of food, water and gear on my back. The few hours of heavy breathing and pain ended in a 3-sided shelter with mouse droppings distributed generously across the floor and a blue tarp hanging as a barrier from the elements.

We went to sleep in a beautiful 70-degree evening but at some point, a gale force wind blew into camp, whipping the tarp furiously, making sleep fitful, if not impossible. We woke to a very cold silence. As we peeped out from behind the tarp, we learned that the storm left in its wake a thin blanket of wet snow. As we heated our breakfast, shivering in the cold, we all agreed that this portion of the trip was over.

With humiliation, we thumbed a ride into town on the back of a passing pickup truck on an old logging road.

As we debriefed the journey from the comfort of our hotel room, my trail companions realized that there were several mistakes made in our first (and last) AT hike. But we all agreed that we also did a couple things correctly.

HIKING MISTAKES:

1. We hadn’t prepared.

2. We overpacked for the journey.

3. We were woefully out of shape.

4. The Self-talk kept us from being successful.

5. We were not committed to the Journey.

HIKING SUCCESSES:

1. We stayed together.

2. We took breaks as needed (Lots and LOTS of breaks).

3. We enjoyed the view along the way.

4. We recalibrated the route.

5. We kept our spirits high.

The Formative Path does not have to be a lonely trek.

Too often we think that our spiritual development happens alone in our prayer closet or in front of our open Bible. As we learned on the AT, staying together gave us the opportunity to support one another when the going got rough. At the crest of each hill, we could pause together, share some water, take in the view, and remind each other that we made it a little further along the path. When one person was discouraged, others could provide support. When we finally agreed to move forward, we would help one another hoist our packs, get back on our feet, and begin the next hill.

The same is true in the spiritual journey; you don’t have to…and should never…go it alone! Sometimes you may get discouraged and a brother or sister of the faith can remind you how far you’ve already come. They can offer support, remind you of your progress, provide perspective. It’s possible that one of your fellow travelers in the faith has already walked this path before and can share their own learning (mistakes AND successes).

As we move forward in the coming weeks on this Formative Path, an important first step is to build your team, find a small group of fellow travelers who can share the journey and walk beside you.

Your journey will be better for it.