By Chris Bates
One of the most memorable nights of my youth happened alone on the side of a mountain. I was a teenager at a summer camp in North Carolina and was preparing to complete the final test in a multi-summer journey to earn the rank of “Little Chief.” The culmination of that journey required an overnight solo experience on the mountain with only a small kit: two matches, a Snickers bar, tarp and twine, a flashlight, a knife, and a pocket-sized Bible.
As I hiked up to my campsite, my fear was real. However, I wasn’t as alone as I thought. What we hadn’t been told was that each of us would quietly be paired with a guide – an older, experienced Little Chief who would hike with us partway, share their own story, and encourage us toward success. My guide helped point me to a safe spot, offered tips on fire-building and shelter-making, and shared how he’d made it through his own test a couple of years before. He didn’t give instructions; he gave his story.
Before he left, he showed me reflective tape and said he would mark a trail down the mountain in case I needed to give up during the night. But his story gave me hope that I could make it to morning.
That night became both a memory and a lesson: Find a guide, and be a guide. Life as a believer is not meant to be lived in isolation. God often leads us through our own journeys so we can become a guide for someone else.
Scripture offers a powerful picture of this in Acts 9. When the Lord told Ananias of Damascus to heal Saul of his blindness — the same Saul who’d persecuted Christians — Ananias was afraid and questioned it. But he obeyed. His act of faith became a turning point for Saul, who would become Paul, one of Christianity’s most influential voices.
Maybe you’ve walked through addiction, grief, divorce, or illness. Maybe your professional journey has equipped you with lessons hard-won. Whatever your path, when you share your story with honesty and compassion, it can bring light to someone else.
To be a guide, we must first be in relationship. Real impact requires empathy, not just instruction. As someone once told me, “Relate to, don’t dictate to.” One of the most powerful things you can say to someone struggling is, “Me too.”
Just like Ananias, we may never see the full impact of our story guiding someone else. That doesn’t make it any less valuable. Outcomes aren’t our responsibility. Sharing our story is.
So look around. Who’s watching your life? Who might need to hear how you made it through the night on your own mountain? Let God use your experiences to bring hope, direction, and light to someone else’s path.
Find a guide. Be a guide. Carry your story forward.
Chris Bates is CEO of AgoraEversole, a full-service marketing agency in Jackson, and can be reached at Chris@AgoraEversole.com. He and his wife, Stacy, live in Madison and have adult children and three grandboys.