Seeking God:

My Life through the Years (Part No. 5)

Age 25

We have now come to an important, even a strange, part of my life. It was a highlight in some respects but was unusual in another respect. Let me describe it.

Our account takes us to my life at age 25. A few years earlier, when I was at Lancaster, Pa and working at the large general hospital, I had settled one aspect of my future life (as I imagined it). As I explained in an earlier post, I thought that I would leave Pennsylvania and travel around the country with several intensions in mind. I wanted to leave the state of my birth and travel around the country for perhaps six months, then I would find a location in some distant place in the woods or forest, where I would study carefully, intensely, and undistractedly. After this time of respite and searching, I planned to continue my journey around the country and get a “feel” for the nation as I saw it “up close.” After this, I planned to do much preaching and teaching to others and perhaps this would also take me beyond the American borders. I realize that many who are reading these words probably think that these deliberations were totally out of the ordinary for many my age would be thinking of college, marriage, sports, and the like.

Does this sound somewhat strange or unworkable, perhaps bizarre, or do you think that this could have worked? At the time, it did seem unreasonable but, keep in mind, that I was somewhat familiar with “unreasonable” things. Thus, I planned carefully the coming period of my life regardless of the negatives (mentioned in my previous post—No. 4).

I did want to love and serve God and wanted my future to count for Him and His kingdom. This is why I planned as I did. When Paul wrote to the Colossians, he said, “[He was] rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ” (Colossians 2:5). This too was my intention, that with all of this planning, I wanted to display a “good discipline” and “the stability” of my faith in Christ. Nothing else would do.

Further, as a single person, and young, I thought that Paul’s words at 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 were appropriate: “One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and his interests are divided.” The apostle wanted “to promote what is seemly and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.” I hope that you don’t receive the wrong impression here. I desperately wanted to be married and always imagined that God would bring a sweet, modest, quiet, eligible girl my way and that I would be married by age 20 or perhaps 22. But apparently this was not to be—at this time. Thus, I wanted to immediately find “undistracted devotion” to the Lord in my “strange” endeavors.

Let me return to the way my journey transpired. I was in western Pennsylvania (having come from my stay at the lab in the eastern part of the state) and early in September, I realized that I needed to depart immediately for the journey that I had planned for several years. I carefully loaded the car, placed literature and books in this auto, placed my clothes inside (I had built a tiny closet for clothes behind the driving seat), prepared the bed on the right side of the front and back portion, put food in the trunk, prepared maps, placed a cassette recorder/player on the right, said good-bye to my family, and departed one fine day.

It might be good and helpful for you to have a national map with you as you read. I have a Rand McNally Road Atlas of the United States, as well as Canada and Mexico. I departed from the western part of the state (and, of course, I carried my Bible along with the literature). Those of you who are in an older generation, may remember a program entitled, “Route 66,” covering the travels of two young men who drove around the country and involved in interesting activities. This program that continued for a number of seasons somehow may have provided the background for my travels. Of course, the Lord Jesus Christ was the primary motive for my travels!

With God’s blessing, I drove across western Pennsylvania and into Maryland. I was becoming more and more uneasy with my spiritual life and condition with God. Thus, I drove into northern Virginia and at Front Royal I entered the Shenandoah National Park. Driving south, over the fragrant and verdant Virginia hills, about half way down I entered the park and found a nearly-deserted campground. You might want to remember that this was early September and the children were back in school. Thanks to God, I had the whole park to myself. For several days, after setting up my tent and unrolling my sleeping bag, I spent much time with an open Bible, reading and studying. This was an ideal time and I don’t think that it rained at all. Beautiful mornings and peaceful sunsets greeted me!

Was I really saved? Was I reconciled to God? Was I one with Christ? So many thoughts and questions went through my mind! It was so good to be able to lay my Bible out on the picnic table in the place I had chosen. Of course, I was seeking God and praying that He would reveal His will for me. Eventually, I concluded that the only way to settle this dilemma was to go somewhere and be immersed again. I had been baptized before but this was to be the end of a long series of questions. I would settle this and begin my travels.

With much deliberation and forethought, I drove from Shenandoah National Park at the North-West part of the state and went to the far South-East where I did much praying and reading and seeking. That night, about 8:30 PM, just as the sun was sinking and it was becoming dark, I was able to be immersed by an unknown couple, in the expansive body of water—then confessed Jesus as Lord. When all had departed, I was able to have quality time with the Lord and then parked there overnight. I suppose that this was the only night that the police stopped to inquire about my situation then they went their way!

I think that this showed me again that if we seek to do the right and only the right, God will provide and see us through. We cannot go astray if we seek God’s will in the midst of confusion. I could see this principle again and again played out in my life. It is a “tried and true” way of dealing with predicaments that defy either explanation or resolution. God will bless us if we surrender to Him in all things. (As I review these series of events many years later, I can see that I was somewhat naïve, but at the time I think I was sincere in my quest.)

Our attention next will be to examine what transpires in my long travels along the East Coast, Canada, and beyond. Please join me in my continued travels.