The Hard Days

We went on a hike to Stewart Falls recently.  BEAUTIFUL. 

My five year old, adventurous and daring was climbing up the bank of the river when she fell in.  Soaked her jeans and got wet up to her neck.  Needless to say, when we started on the 2 mile hike back to the car, she was not a happy camper.  Heavy wet jeans on, and lots of hiking to do. 

She melted to the ground, "I just want to lay down and go to sleep!"  "I don't want to hike."  "I can't do it."  "Pick me up!!"  she pleaded.  Wow.  Do you ever feel like that?  I have hard days where that is exactly what I want.  I am uncomfortable, do not like my circumstances, and I just want to lay down and go to sleep.

I already had the three year old on my back, so I did my best to encourage her.  "You have a choice to make whether this will be a miserable hike, or to tell your brain that you can be happy.  I know you can do this."  We sang some songs together, and she began to cheer a bit.  I was so impressed with her.

Then, she tripped over a tree limb...now, not only was she wet, but muddy!  Oh, she doesn't like to be dirty, and she was not happy.  Once again, she began to mope along.  She was a little mad.  Yep, I know that feeling too.  Work so hard to be happy, decide to put a smile on, and wham--something happens to add to the challenge.

After a few more minutes, she put on a smile, though...Here she is after her pants had dried a bit.

She was skipping along, and I thought we were home free, when her arm hit some stinging nettle!  Oh, that was the last straw.  She stopped and did not want to go further... As she stood there, though, voicing her problem...there just happened to come a woman with ointment for stinging nettle!!!  As soon as the ointment was on, we were on our way... God seems to send us relief just when we are at our whit's end.

How good it felt to her to accomplish that long hike, when she thought she couldn't--didn't want to--even take the first step.  For days afterward I thought about how just taking one step and then the next and the next is so powerful... and, when you sing or lift your mood somehow with positive things the journey is much more fun... and, the satisfaction after doing the impossible is so sweet... and, oh, how good it felt to lay in the grass at the end of the hike...

think how great it will be... keep going, you will make it.  You are closer with every step.  It is wise to keep moving.  Do not give up.