Zion National Park

Along the Way

Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,

--Psalm 105:4–5

“Life is a journey, not a destination.” The words are sometimes attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, but their meaning is unmistakable. Few hikes reflect that meaning as well as the Narrows at Zion National Park.

The Narrows offer no summit at the end of the trail, and no singular overlook where the landscape finally reveals itself. Instead, hikers step into the Virgin River and make their way upstream between towering canyon walls. Water flows beneath their feet. Light shifts across the sandstone. Hanging gardens and weeping walls appear along the way. Every bend offers another reason to stop and look around. In the Narrows, the journey is the destination.

There’s a lesson in that for us.

Goals matter. Unfortunately, they can become so important that everything leading toward them begins to feel like an obstacle. We hurry through one season to reach the next. We postpone gratitude until the prayer is answered, the problem is solved, the degree is finished, or the dream is finally achieved.

Psalm 105 calls us to slow down. It looks back across generations of promise, wandering, protection, provision, and deliverance. God was not present only when His people arrived. His faithfulness was evident throughout the journey. And all of it was worth remembering.

The same is true for us.

God is not merely waiting at the destination we hope to reach. He is present in the life we are living now. His grace meets us in ordinary days, uncertain steps, unexpected turns, and moments of beauty we risk looking past because we are too focused on what comes next.

In the Narrows, the wonder does not begin when the hike is finished. It surrounds you all along the way.

Look around. Remember what God has done. The journey you are rushing through may already contain more grace than you realize.

Reflection:

What destination has captured so much of your attention that you are overlooking God’s presence along the way?

Prayer:

Lord, help me pursue worthwhile goals without becoming blind to the gifts You have placed along the journey. Teach me to remember Your faithfulness, recognize Your presence, and receive each day with gratitude. Amen.