It is easy to be lost in the Artic. It is easy to be lost almost anywhere one is, but this kind of lost is hard for us to accept. The reason is that you and I would like to believe that we know where we are, the direction we are going, and how we are going to get there. In the Artic the conditions are so extreme, so different, that there is no possible illusion that one can imagine to mislead the mind. Being lost is easier than knowing where you are.
First, everything is white. You look to the north, south, east, west, and often even to the sky and things are shades of white. Second, it is cold. Colder than you ever imagined it could be. It is colder than a day when one can think of functioning with any degree of movement. The cold that initially focused and sharpened your senses turns the mind into a heat seeking entity that can think of nothing else! Everything you do turns on the amount of warmth you are able to keep or create. You find yourself focusing on keeping your digits moving. You realize that everything you do is warped by the thought of preserving the heat that you have. Even the beauty around you is twisted by the numbness that appears to be invading the warmth that you so jealously brought along at the start of the adventure.
Ironically in spite of the mind numbing cold of the Artic on the extended adventure out into Lapland I never felt at a loss for direction. The reason lies in the guide that instructed, nurtured, and then was merely along for the ride. He knew where we were. He knew what we needed to do. He was prepared and experienced.
“Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.” (John 3.18)
