Last Saturday night I was sitting at the airport thinking about our hikes in the Sedona mountains and at Zion National Park with my husband. First can I say, “WOW” and way to go, Creator of the universe! Such amazing majestic beauty.
Last night as I was reflecting on the amazing vacation we had in Arizona, my thoughts began to recall the trails we hiked in the beautiful mountains. At first start there was this feeling of exhilaration and strength as we began our hike beholding the beauty literally all around us and enjoying the sun on our faces. After about a mile over rocky trails with inclines, twists, and turns, I began to feel a little less excited.
I was not happy to be breaking a rule I live by when it comes to exercising, which is to stop just before you break a sweat. Breathing became more labored and I would begin to question the wisdom of the commitment I made to hike the trail. Chatter with my husband became non-existent as I labored to catch my breath by doing some deep breathing.
When it came time to come back down the mountain, I wondered at times if I would make it. Instead of looking at the beauty all around me, I now looked at the ground to be careful not to miss a step concentrating on where my feet were placed. Muscles aching and exhaustion setting in caused me to question whether I could make it to the end.
My husband on one of the trails asked me to step it up and put it into high gear as we were on a time constraint. I did not answer him because I did not have the strength to spare, but in my mind I told him that there was no high gear. I wanted to quit but I knew I couldn’t. Finally, coming to the end of the trail with not an ounce of strength left in me came this sense of accomplishment. It was so rewarding.
It got me thinking that even though my hikes ended in exhaustion and lack of strength, I was actually getting stronger because of the workout. I remember caring for Papa at the end of the “trail” of his life feeling very much like the end of my hikes. I was losing sight of the beauty around me as exhaustion over the tedious details of his care became my focus. The difficulty and the challenges did not destroy me but actually gave way to increased strength at the end of the journey. Once again can I say “WOW”, way to go, Papa God!
