Hiking

One of my family’s favorite things to do is go hiking. Yesterday we finally had enough downtime to be able to go. As we walked up the mountain, the questions and the journey reminded me of how much hiking can teach us about life.

First, the questions. As soon as we step foot on the trail I’m asked, “how much further?” Patient is the first great lesson hiking can teach. You’ll need that as much as anything to get to the top. At one point, Norah kept looking at how big the mountain was. She kept asking, “are we going to the top of that?” I would have to keep reminding her to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. How many times have we done that? Constantly focusing on how big the mountain in front of us is instead of focusing on our walk. Remember, one step in the right direction is progress.

Now, for the journey. Like anything in life, nothing meaningful is easy. Our hike was long and hard and filled with many ups and downs. Austin was leading us and at one section tried to lead us off the trail. I reminded him that the trees were painted with blue marks to keep us on the right path. We have the same thing spiritually. If we think we are headed down the wrong road, we can check our road map (the Bible).

Finally, the end. The best thing to learn from hiking is it’s always worth it in the end. Our journey in life may be filled with hardships, bumps, and bruises, but it’ll always be worth it in the end.

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. - Romans 8:18