Facing life’s obstacles – My hiking adventure

Hi Friends!  I’m back =)

Thank you for all your Anniversary wishes.  I am thankful for the sweet time my husband and I got to spend together.

Part of our anniversary trip included hiking a natural wonder, in the heart of Texas.  I was not born and raised in Texas, so there are still quite a few “Texas” things I have never done.  One of them is climbing to the top of Enchanted Rock.

When I imagined Enchanted Rock, I pictured a lush, thriving mountainside with a sparkling rock tucked between streams and flowering fields.

I grew up surrounded by the mountains of Washington, so whenever I picture “hiking” I remember walking under the shade of gigantic pines, my sweat barely glistening because of the cool breezes sweeping through the mountains.  Around the bend there is always a water source whether is a stream, creek, or a water falls.

If you have visited Enchanted Rock are laughing right now, at the surprise waiting for me.

When the giant rock of granite surrounded by desert shrubs came into view, my heart sunk a bit. Determined not to let my Northwest hiking spirit get discouraged, we started hiking the rock. 

 

  At first the hike seemed easy. Enchanted Rock looks like a small hill.  However, after 10 minutes, I started to wonder if I was ever going to get up this thing. 

All I could see was rock.  All I could feel was heat radiating around me, as the granite magnified the heat.   We were walking straight up a giant rock, all my romantic notions of an idyllic stroll beside an enchanted rock vanished.  This was war! I was going to make it up this monstrosity.  I started walking forcefully upwards, when my sneakers slipped and loose gravel tumbled down the side of the rock.

My husband gently instructed me to walk at a diagonal angle so that I would not slip as much.  I walked at an angle catching a glimpse of the scenery behind me.  It was a beautiful world of trees, enough green and lushness for even this Northwesterner to gasp.

I looked ahead, again faced with the glaring heat and enormity of the rock but I felt joyful and lighter.  I was looking at a huge rock, but behind me was a luscious forest.  There was beauty, shade, and refreshment right behind me.   I kept glancing back at the vegetation, whenever the rock seemed to steep to keep climbing, and in almost no time I had made it to the top.

When I only looked forward, eyes glued on the biggest piece of granite I had ever seen, my heart became weary and the task of climbing felt slow and overwhelming.  However, just a brief look back at the beauty behind me gave me renewed hope and joy for my climb.

I thought about how much of my life currently feels like climbing a giant rock.  As I have shared previously, losing 2 babies this year has brought grief and moments of despair and hard questions.

Even as the Lord has brought healing and continues to heal, the journey of waiting to get pregnant again and all the “what if” questions, feels like climbing a very big rock.  Some days, I feel like I can’t wait another second to get pregnant again.  I want to give up and find comfort in self pity and despair, instead of doing the hard work of taking my pain and longing to the Lord, again and again.

But when I am tempted to despair, if I can look behind me  – and remember – the beauty He has brought from ashes before.  The miracles he has brought into my life in the past, then my spirit is able to carry on in faith and hope.  When I remember there may be a mountain in front of me, but directly behind me is my testimony, the testimonies of other believers, and  the multitude gathered in heaven right now – witnessing the glory and goodness of God, I can keep walking.

Its becoming a bit of an anthem for me in this season of waiting and longing for a baby, reminders to stop…take my eyes off what to me seems like the insurmountable obstacle, and to focus them on God, to focus on who He is – not what I am trying to accomplish.

Bless the Lord O my Soul and FOREGET NOT all his benefits. (Psalm 103:1)

When I forget –

I get overwhelmed

I think I am the one that has to solve the problem

When I’m not

Who redeems your life from the pit (Psalm 103:4)

He’s the Redeemer

He takes the mess, the hurt and the brokenness and replaces all of it with His beauty and goodness.

Who satisfies your desires with good things (Psalm 103:5)

When I take my desire to the Lord, I am satisfied and filled with His peace and hope – regardless of what my pregnancy test says.

Does anyone else feel like they have a tendancy to keep staring a problem, head on for so long that it becomes consuming and overwhelming?  What do you need to step away from and remember the hugeness and goodness of God today?