Volume 30, No. 31                                              
August 7, 2005

Cache and Carry

   Finding adventure — and who knows what else?  That’s what’s behind a worldwide high-tech treasure hunt .

   It’s called geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing), a combination of geo for geography and caching, which means to hide something.  Started in the northwestern U.S. in May 2000, the hobby involves the finding of hidden “treasure” using Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) units.  With one of those devices — which are the size of a cell phone and cost as little as $100 — you can use satellite signals to determine your location anywhere on earth, to within six to twenty feet.

   Participants simply stash a cache and put the location on the Internet for others to find, often with a treasure map included.  Searchers then enter into their GPS units the latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates, called a waypoint, and use their devices to get to the cache.  It sounds simple enough, but knowing where something is and actually getting there are two different things.  

   That’s especially true because GPS units only measure distance as the crow flies so, even if you’re just a kilometre away from the cache, there may be a river or a cliff in the way, which is why most geocachers travel in pairs. Though finding the general area is easy, nailing down the precise site can be extremely frustrating, particularly if the cache is hidden under a pile of rocks or ingeniously just out of sight in a city setting.

   Most caches are in water-resistant plastic containers and include a logbook with a welcome from the person who planted it, and notes from visitors who find it.  Some of the most common “treasures” left in caches are CDs, buttons, books, gift certificates, inexpensive toys, and disposable cameras so visitors can take pictures of themselves and     leave them for the owner of the cache to develop and post online.

   Some treasures are “hitchhikers” moved from one cache to the next, such as a candle that’s been from Arizona to Australia.  But the rule is, if you take something from a cache, you must leave something for the next person.  When geocachers are successful, they email those who hid the containers and are eager to hear who found them.  At last count, there were active caches in 100 countries.

   Though this isn’t exactly what Jesus had in mind when He said, “Seek and you will find,” geocaching does hold some important parallels with  spiritual discovery.  The first is that such a profound and personal pursuit requires the right tools and, thankfully, God equips us for the quest.  

   Like the GPS unit, the Holy Spirit reveals to us where we are and where we should be.  Jesus said, “He’ll guide you into all truth... revealing to you whatever He receives from me (John 15:13,14.)  The Originator of that truth even provides a map to spiritual discovery by way of the Bible, and Jesus is the one and only Waypoint through which we can come to God and eternal life (John 14:6.)

   But knowing our spiritual destination is just the first step, infinitely easier than arriving there.  So we need the prayers and support of fellow seekers, which is why our wise and loving Lord established the church in the first place.  On a journey fraught with obstacles and  spiritual obstructions, “Two can accomplish more than twice as much as one...  If one person falls, the other can reach out and help.  But those alone when they fall are in real trouble!” (Ecc. 4:10)

   Even so, reaching our objective takes time, work and patience, especially when it’s not in plain sight.  But once we find His welcome, and whatever else God has left for us, He wants us to share our experience with others.  Though we should feel free to take the wisdom and encouragement left by those who went ahead of us, we must also leave something for those coming behind us.  

   Too often, we get in touch with God only when we need help and direction as we set out in search of change.  But He also wants to hear from us when we’re successful so He can share in the joy of our discovery.  In the end, what’s most valuable is not what we uncover, but the connectedness we feel with God and others throughout our pursuit.  And that’s not something you find just anywhere.  

By Rick Gamble, published in Cross Current, the weekly newsletter of the Followers of Christ church family in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.  Reprint at will in not-for-profit publications.  To receive these free weekly articles via email, send a note to sgamble@bfree.on.ca