My daughter spent the summer with us before beginning her full-time job in Dallas. She likes to do activities on the weekend, especially outdoor enterprises. She has done hiking before, but my husband and I are not avid outdoors people. We decided to take a hike up Crowder Mountain. We felt we could handle this hike. We let her choose the path, and naturally, she decided on the strenuous trail. My husband and I thought, “How bad could it be?” After all, it is not a steep mountain.
We began our two-mile excursion on a gentle incline that quickly progressed in intensity. There were old stumps and stones in the path, and you had to pay attention, or you may stumble and fall. Sometimes the trail got close to the edge; you had to walk towards the other side to stay away from the drop-off. There was amazing beauty as well as destruction all around as we journeyed up the mountain. There was evidence of controlled burns to keep everyone safe and trees that naturally fell. It got me thinking about my life. I realized that sometimes God does a controlled burn in my life. Controlled burns serve a purpose. These situations may be difficult or ugly at the time, but necessary. Or I may have to make an effort to get rid of activities, circumstances, thoughts or things that are dead in my life and are no longer needed to keep me safe and allow for future growth. Either way, at times, I need to be open to letting things go for my preservation, safety, and growth.
The climb got steep, and we needed to stop and take breaks and drink water so we could keep going. We passed people who had already made it to the top, and they encouraged us to keep going – they assured us the view from the top was stunning! We kept climbing, figuring we had to be close to the pinnacle. The hardest part came at the end when we were tired and sweaty. Right before the remaining steps to the top is a big sign warning people had died beyond this point. But hey, we had come too far to turn back. We climbed the remaining steps; at the end of that path is a view so beautiful that we stood there just admiring the beauty of creation. There were giant boulders and old trees to sit on to recover. A wonderful breeze to cool us off. Well worth the climb!
I thought about life’s journey. All of what I was doing to climb up a mountain was true about my journey through life. I have a path to follow, steep at times – filled with obstacles to make me stumble if I am not paying attention. There are rest stops along the way to catch my breath. But at the end of this journey is an incredible place waiting for me since I have chosen Jesus as my Savior – Heaven! No one experiences heaven and comes back to tell us how fantastic it is, but God’s word does. He inspired people to write down His message so we could read it. He gives us a glimpse in Revelation 21 and 22:1-5. He tells us how beautiful His home is, and He wants us there with Him.
On our way down, we encouraged weary hikers to keep going. I realize that is something we can all do. We can reassure weary travelers on this journey of life. If you have seen God’s glory, provision, protection, goodness, or faithfulness, then share this with someone who is at the most challenging point on their journey so far. It may just keep someone going to see God’s awesome character in their own life. We all need encouragement to not give up and to keep moving forward.
Peace in the Desert 