My wife Shelli and I have been blessed with some great friends that we don’t take for granted. One of our favorite visitors is Tim. He is the kind of friend that gives you a real hug when he sees you, and then plays with your kids because he’s genuinely happy to see them too. Tim will listen when you talk, and seems to ask the right questions (he won’t take your side just because he’s your friend) and he doesn’t shy away from speaking truth into your life. We look forward to his visits, his encouraging spirit, and always end up with sore ribs from laughing so hard during our time together.
Tim thinks differently than mainstream America. He agonizes about throwing away an empty 12 ounce container of sour cream, because of the environmental effect. He’s a minimalist, somewhat of a naturalist, definitely a Christian, and has some unique ideas about what life is all about. As an example, he left his high paying computer job a few years ago to build handmade wooden boats in Maine. That act made him a sort of not-being-held-down-by-the-man hero to my family. While he was in Maine, he developed a love of hiking and made a decision to hike the Appalachian Trail. For the next year, he worked; paid off all of his debt and saved up a half year’s worth of income. Over the following 6 months Tim hiked ALL 2,172 miles of the “AT”.
He visited us a week after he had been off the trail. His beard was thick and scraggly, and his body was thin and chiseled. After hearing us talk about his trip for awhile, my then 7 year old daughter Kianna chimed in with “why didn’t you just take a CAR!?”
One of the stories Tim told us really hit home with me. He said that on a particularly tough hike through West Virginia he rubbed his left heel raw. He didn’t have the proper bandages (or had run out already) so he started overcompensating to take the pressure off his wound. This overcompensation wreaked havoc on his body. His right knee was sore, his hips ached and his back was so stiff after 2 days of hiking, he had to take an extended rest.
He said it was a great lesson on dealing with issues as they come up, instead of ignoring them or covering them up with a temporary fix.
After thinking about Tim’s issue, Shelli and I have decided to start a class to help us organize and manage our money (We have waited too long already!). The bible says: Just as lotions and fragrance give sensual delight, a sweet friendship refreshes the soul. Proverbs 27:9 (Thanks Tim!)
What is creating a limp or pain in your life that you need to address, before overcompensation creates even MORE issues?
Love,
Jason
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March 17th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Hi Jason,
Thanks for the reflection. In life its sometimes important how you start. Today I started by reading your story. I can use the message all day…
March 17th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Praise God for the beauty of friendships that change our minds and our perspectives….
March 17th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
We start out this life with a lot of rough edges. Will we be polished or broken? God has used many a rough time to polish me even when I felt I was about to break. He is not done with me… or you.
Great story Jason. Thanks.
March 18th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Another GREAT story, Jason. It got me to thinking– as always… I’d be lying if I said that our ministry isn’t my way of compensating, you know? I’d like to think that it’s part of the refiner’s fire for me. He knew long ago that the blister I was gonna get couldn’t be covered with a bandaid so He’s strengthening the rest of me so that I can keep on hiking! (Some days I’d give anything to have a bandaid size blister!!!)
Love to you and Shell- you are blessings to me!
March 18th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Jason,
Loved this post. Definitely has me pondering. We are searching for a church home and I think I am overcompensating in some ways with my children.
I enjoyed my time here. Transparent Christian is a GREAT name for a Christian site. I wish more of us were see-thru believers.
Thanks for your comment, by the way. Was great to have a comment by a guy! Hope you didn’t get estrogen-overload.
Warmly,
Joanne
March 19th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Thanks y’all for the comments. Glad you liked the story.
I think of procrastinating as a way of compensating for me in many ways… I just avoid dealing with something until it’s a monumental task to do something that would have been easy to address.
@Joanne – It took my wife and I over a year to find a church home… one place we walked into and out of before the service started. I really love the sense of community and accountability you find in a church family.
I’m blessed to have cultivated relationships through this magazine, but there is something really organic and cool about being in close proximity with other believers, especially when they are somewhat er…transparent.
March 26th, 2009 at 7:05 am
I think everyone needs a ‘Tim,’ a friend who seems so radically different and counter to our typical lifestyle that he makes us rethink how we live.
My ‘Tim’ sold his belongings and hiked the Rocky mountains from Mexico to Montana in six months. Now he wants to work at a lab in Antarctica. To each his own.
March 31st, 2009 at 11:11 am
@Matt – Yes, this Tim certainly makes me think about how I live. Sounds like our ‘Tims’ would be great friends!
February 24th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
Wow great post!
April 30th, 2010 at 1:33 am
Enjoy reading your post. Hope hiking boots might guide someone out there.