2 Corinthians 3:18
I don’t consider myself to be a patient person. I want people to think I’m patient, but inside I’m vanquishing a volcano of acceleration toward completion. “Stop and smell the roses,” sounds like a convenience afforded to few; or is it?
Backpacking has been a lifelong recreation and spiritual encounter for me. The beginning of the trip is always a shift from comfort into bearing the load and adjusting my gear. This requires patient and attentive awareness of friction points and unbalanced loads. You don’t become an experienced trekker on your first journey; you gain this over time, with blisters bearing witness to the transformation. My hikes have primarily been in the mountains. As elevation increases, oxygen decreases, and a reduced pace becomes essential. The slowness of the journey reveals the reason why the trek is meaningful. As I slowly gain altitude, I notice subtle changes. I notice flora in the transformative processes of life. The same plants blooming at a lower altitude in a beautiful array are in bud at elevation. I notice the subtle changes in the rocks and trees as altitude increases, and water unexpectedly appears. If the lack of oxygen were not there, I would speed past these magnificent creations. The delay is a necessary aspect of hiking; it provides the opportunity to behold, wonder, and discover joy. The slowness makes the journey and the struggle meaningful.
In 2 Corinthians 3:12-18, we encounter Moses, the law, and the gospel of Jesus in a new light. Moses’ awareness was formed by his journey. Moses experienced a profound transformation by choosing to say “Yes” to God, encountering the Divine along his journey. This encounter was so powerful that his transformation had to be veiled to allow others to be in his presence. The passage references a lifting of the veil that is later understood through Jesus’ fulfillment of the law. What we may overlook in this short passage is how Moses’ life feels both strangely distant and deeply familiar to our own. Though God used him as a remarkable leader, Moses was still human—marked by weakness, complexity, and grace. Which parts of his story echo in your own? Self-righteous. Vindicated. Judged. Scorned. Rejected. Alone. Afraid. Found. Tested. Tried. Humbled. Searching. Lost. Redeemed. Moses’ formation was in response to his inner longing to know his creator. It led to a path of patient wandering. Not in isolation, but in an emerging observation and participation in the slow work God can bring to the observant wanderer. May your journey of following Jesus bring renewed hope in the God who encounters those on the path to find him, in unsuspecting places, as your pace is slowed.
Jaisen Fuson
EFCC Elder