No more Trudging

Went for a little sojourn back at the end of September to get some things straightened out with God. Here's some thoughts from my hiking journal.

9/12/04
I'm part way up to the lake and it's been a tough climb. I thought about turning around because of this stupid blister but I decided to push on ahead. I want to get to the lake or a lake tonight and sometimes chasings the beauty that you are longing for is hard work.

9/13/04
The vision, the why. Those are important questions... Example, I could have stopped @ many spots on this hike and called it done, or even turned around and gone back. The reason why I felt that way is because I was trudging, I was focused on the now, the pain tiredness, etc. Those won't help me get to where I need to go. I need broader vision focus, the why. If I instead concentrate on the why, the goal, then I give up the pointless focus on the pain, hardship, etc. What do I want to get out of this life? What do I want my girls to be like? What do I want the kids in my classes to learn? What do I want the infusion kids to leave Frontier with?... What's the goal? Where is my place in the story?

If we just TRUDGE and make it through we've only enjoyied the ends, the restful times. If we focus on the end then we are all the time. It's still hard work to pursue, but much more worth it in the end.

As you may see from the above entries I don't want to trudge anymore! No Trudging! Life may be hard but God wants us to experience His freedom.

Life is just like that hike... you're so excited to get to this beautiful mountain lake. You throw on your backpack, proud that you can fit everything that you would ever need to live in the small pack on your back. As you start out you walk along an incredible little stream with aspens turning bright shades of yellow and orange on the ridge above you. Some look as they could burst into flame at any moment because of their vibrant color. I mile into the hike you start to feel a little pain in your heal, just a hot spot from the shoes, nothing to worry about. With a little mole skin from your pack you pad the spot and off you go.... but it slips off the spot and soon you have a big painful blister. You can't go on... your trip is ruined and you'll never make it up to the lake... you might as well just turn around and go "car camping". No!!!! You won't have it, your going to the lake even if you heal falls off. And off you go concentrating on the pain the whole way. You're gonna make it to that lake, you're gonna make it! Then the "hill", well really more of a steep incline up the side of the mountain. You think to yourself, "I knew there was a 1500 ft. elevation gain but I didn't know that it would done in just 1/2 a mile!" One foot at a time you climb the trail concentrating less on the pain in your heal because your thighs feel like they will give out at any moment. But the lake, you've got to make it to the lake. On and on you go so exhausted that at many lesser potential camp sites you entertain the thought of just pitching you tent in the trees. Ya sure, no view, no lake but you'd be done! Nope on to the lake. It's getting dark, and the sun has set, you'll never make you think. But you're tenacious and you’re going to get to that lake! Trudging along you think of your heal, now both are blistered, your legs are just dead and your almost out of water. Got to make it to the lake....

Remind you of life? We have some much to look forward to. So much beauty to hike towards but along the way we get beat up and bruised. The items in our pack which at one point were so highly thought of are now just weighing us down. Even if and when we get to the beautiful mountain "lake" we'll be so tired and worn down from our focus on the pain that we won't really enjoy the beauty around us.

I don't want to trudge in this life. We miss so much of the beauty that is on the journey to our destination focusing on the pain. Yes it is painful, yes it is hard, yes this life can really pull you down, but God doesn't want that for us. He wants us to look around and see his great creation. He wants us to be able to enjoy the "lakes" in our lives even if we may be exhausted when we get there.

Q: How do I avoid trudging in this life? How do I walk, one foot at a time through those tough days and still be focused on the beauty that God will and is providing for me in my life. I want to live God's great adventure and not loose heart.