Lessons Learned from the Oregon Trail

Take a look at the pictures from our recent trip to Oregon. We think we have it hard on the path of life! Here we learned about the pioneers who traveled the long and difficult path to Oregon country. They had come so far, thousands of miles, reaching the Mt Hood region of Oregon country, when suddenly they are confronted by another obstacle - a steep and dangerous mountainside unlike any they have encountered before (the one pictured above).

Now you may wonder, what did they do so they did not lose control of their wagons and all their possessions weren't lost? They did several things, such as anchor the wagon to a rope tied to a tree and slowly drove the wagon down the hillside. Another way was to tie a rope around a large cut spruce tree and allow the tree's limbs to snag the brush along the way and thus slow the descent. All of it was to prevent them from going too fast and avoiding catastrophe.

What an interesting lesson to learn in our walk in life. Sometimes we face steep hillsides and just want to race down them. But God has a way of slowing us down. Sometimes He ties obstacles on to us so we travel steady and sure, and not fall headlong away from His will. He wants us to arrive at our destination intact, our spirits strong, our faith in Him alone.

And so we learn a valuable lesson from the pioneers of old. Don't be afraid if God seems to have tied a dead weight on you at the moment. He has your best interest at heart. And it may be keeping you from a disasterous fall.