Discovering God Through the Fun of Geocaching
May 14, 2025Years ago, I had a hobby that brought me into both nature and urban settings: geocaching, a modern treasure hunt that uses GPS to find hidden “caches” placed worldwide by other participants. Ranging in size from a tackle box to as small as my pinky finger, these caches were located using an app, GPS, and hints from past finders.
The search could take around fifteen minutes to an hour or more, and the caches were never buried but camouflaged in many creative ways. Some contained small trinkets, while others only had a logbook for the finder to sign. The real reward wasn’t just in finding the treasure but in the journey itself, full of challenges, frustrations, and unexpected lessons from God.
Once, after attending an Easter sunrise service atop Stone Mountain in Georgia, a friend and I searched for our third geocache of the day. We had already failed to find two others, and I was determined not to leave empty-handed.
After searching for over thirty minutes, I grew frustrated and began to pray. I felt God remind me to seek Him and His wisdom as one would seek hidden treasure (Proverbs 2:3-5) and to praise Him regardless of the outcome.
So, I did just that.
As I walked, I sang and worshipped. I felt nudged to approach a tree I had passed several times before. Standing there, still singing, I looked down— and there, camouflaged among the leaves, was a red tackle box filled with small toys, bookmarks, pens, and a thick logbook. In it, I wrote about how I found the cache on Easter Sunday, after God reminded me to seek Him like precious treasure. That day, He revealed Himself through nature and the game of geocaching.
I am inspired to continue exploring the countless ways God unveils Himself, whether through nature, the arts, sciences, mathematics, play, or other avenues. I plan to practice these methods personally, starting with my gifts and talents, so I can confidently introduce them to potential directees.
My personal definition of spiritual direction, developed from my studies, sums up my perspective: Spiritual direction is the art of listening, discerning, and companioning another soul in order for them to become aware of and respond to God’s movement in their life and spiritual journey.
Learning to facilitate this process while incorporating the physical body, as this program has inspired me to do, is an invaluable tool on my journey toward becoming a spiritual director.
Nancy Rogers, WTC First Year Spiritual Direction Cohort
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