Those women are built strong. Those are the sort of women who made it during the pioneer days.
I wouldn't have last very long back then, I don't think. The other day I was at a party and someone made the comment "You look like a Chopstick!" I thought she was referring to the black leggings I was wearing, but no, she was referring to the way I looked in the leggings.
And just because a person is on the smaller side doesn't automatically mean they are in shape, because looks can be deceiving...
Case in point about my frame? My exhausting hike this morning.
Bandera Mountain (Click on the name.)
A friend of mine asked me to go hiking with her and I said yes, but I told her that I was out of shape and asked if we could do a light, easy hike only. She said sure and assured me that it would be an easy three miles round trip.
The problem was, it wasn't easy and it certainly was not three miles. No. It was quite an arduous hike in fact. Something I did not feel I was able to do and we ran into some unforseen circumstances along the way.
First off the incline never leveled out, instead it kept getting steeper and more rocky. I kept thinking "Surly this is going to get easier..." as I panted and hauled my body over boulder after boulder. Then there was the snow thing. I wore my hiking/water sneakers and knew that if I had to stomp through a ton of snow, I was going to have some seriously wet feet.
(One of my climbing partners.)
I wasn't prepared for this. I wasn't expecting this and I wasn't ready or equipped.
Luckily, neither of the other two women were dressed for snow so we veered off path A and took path B which had much less snow. Only problem was, this path was straight up the mountain. At a 90 degree angle. I was intimidated by this mountain because I knew I did not have the strength, endurance or stamina to keep climbing. The thing of it was, there was no turning back. I had to keep going.
(Bandera Mountain, Cascade Mt. Range, WA)
So up I went. And that's when I started to feel a ping in my heart by the Spirit of God. "Are you ready for Him? Are you prepared for Him?" Is the thought that kept going through my mind as I climbed. At that point I felt like my immediate situation was a direct reflection of my heart and my answer was "No." "No I'm not ready for Jesus and no I'm not prepared." This is what I was thinking as I was climbing and panting and feeling my knees and my thighs start to ache and it made me feel very sad and disappointed in myself.
But I couldn't keep thinking about myself. There was a mountain to climb and ready or not I was climbing it. Looking straight up was so overwhelming, so I decided to just take it one step at a time and focus on climbing over the rock that was in front of me. (No use in dwelling on the fact that I'm exhausted and feel like I blew it, because I've got to climb it now.)
And one step at a time, I climbed that mountain. I was the last of the three of us. I stopped thinking about anything else except doing exactly what was in front of me. I was focused. Tired, but focused. Weary, but focused. My goal was the top of the mountain. Then somewhere close to the top they called down for me to stop. "We'ved decided to stop here." They said. Something about it taking too long and we would have a break and go back down. I didn't think much of it at the time. I was relieved that I could be done and sit and rest.
Rest I did in the big tall grass. I sipped on my camel back and took the wax casing off my cheese and ate it. I stared in awe at Mt. Rainer before me and all the other mountains around us.
Twas only later that it dawned on me. We didn't finish. And oddly not because I didn't want to, but because I was told to stop going. I certainly wasn't about to haul off into the wilderness on my own. We came as a group so we stayed as a group.
As I'm sitting here typing this tonight and thinking about the parallel this draws me to when I think about the Body of Christ and what Paul has admonished us to do. How many Christians start off with fervent vigor to serve God, but lose their stamina along the way. They burn out, get bored, lose interest, fall back, veer off, get distracted, lose heart and the list goes on why people don't Finish.
The people I was with prevented me from finishing. (And I don't say that as a critisism in the natural.) So let me ask you this, Do the Christian's you hang out with prevent you from finishing what the Lord is calling you to? Namely, intimacy and a love relationship with Christ? Does the Church you attend prevent you from seeking Christ as a Body, or do they invite and welcome what the Spirit of God wants to do?
These are some very serious questions that we as believers must ask ourselves. I was blessed to see a lot of the Lord's beauty today and by his grace He enabled me to see incredible views of his creation, but the fullness of it at the top of that mountain was not to be had...today.
I hope I get to go back and revisit that mountain and reach the top. In better shape (spiritually and physically) and Finish .
Mt. Rainier
I wish I knew who wrote this song, because I feel the lyrics are apropos of what my experience symbolized today...
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
No turning back, no turning back.
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