I love going backpacking. Whenever I go backpacking I always seem to come back refreshed and closer to God. I was able to go this past weekend and spend a few days in the wilderness. God had a lot of things to teach me on the trip, and I am going to share one of them with you. Our group had been out for two days. On the second day we had done a lot of hiking, and we had a few intense situations that we ran into. That night we are sitting around the campfire exhausted from the day. I kept looking at this mountain across the lake. I really wanted to climb it, but I didn’t think I would have enough time before we would have to hike out the next day. Finally a friend’s dad and I decided we would try hiking it the next morning before we left. We got up at 5:30 and started our climb. Our legs were extremely sore from the previous day and it was a steep climb. I kept telling myself that it would be worth it when I reached the top. Finally we made it to the top. God’s creation stretched out before us. The sun was just rising over the top of one of the peaks. It was one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen. As we were hiking back down and on the drive home I kept thinking about James 1:2-4. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” When I was hiking that mountain I was so excited to see what was at the top. I knew the pain would be worth it. What if I looked at the hard times in my life the same way? James says to consider it pure joy when we face trials. It is hard when we have trials, but we know that the end goal is worth it. Peter tells us the same thing in 1 Peter 1:6-7 “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Hard times will come in life, but when they come let us be ready to climb the mountain and see what God has in store for us. I know it will be worth the climb.
