For this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:21
“Why am I doing this?” I asked myself.
I was wet. I was cold. And there were nine miles to go.
The weather forecasted rain the rest of the day with no let up.
As Bob and I put on our hiking boots and clothes that morning, complaining or quitting wasn’t part of our vocabulary.
Three months ago, we decided to hike the 9 ½ miles down and then up the Grand Canyon. We booked the flight to Arizona and began training (consisting of 5-mile walks to my favorite coffee shop).
I also began watching others hike the Canyon on YouTube. In every video the sun was shining and the views were captivating.
I didn’t figure on rain in the Arizona desert. And I certainly didn’t figure that I’d have to straddle the path that had become a small stream. Green mule droppings and mud, mixed with orange run off from the rocks created a wet mess.
I thought I was well prepared—good boots, polls, rain poncho, and warm clothing. The bright yellow poncho kept water off my head to my upper legs for a few hours. Slowly the elements won out and every piece of clothing I was wearing was soaked, except for my feet.
Finally, the waterproof boots were no match for the foot of water I had to walk through. Now I was completely drenched.
The scenery was majestic on the trek down, but I missed most of it with eyes glued on my next step. At one point I slipped, falling on my hands and knees landing in the disgusting mud mess. I was grateful I didn’t break anything. If I had, there was no phone service for several miles.
As I plugged along one step at a time I kept telling myself that I was going to make it no matter what. I was going to keep taking the next step. Then the next step and then the next step.
Finally, we reached Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the canyon. There I enjoyed a steak meal swapping soggy stories with the forty or so other hikers that also braved the elements.
After the meal, I slept in the dorm in the only clothes I had—wet ones.
The next morning, we rose before sunrise with headlamps lighting the way. I was grateful the rain had stopped during the night. It ended up being a sunny day.
A friend on Facebook asked me what I learned through this experience. What came to mind was my philosophy about the Christian life. You just keep taking the next step. Sometimes times are good and sometimes they aren’t. But quitting by not following God has never been an option for me.
At times our lives can get really difficult through trials and losses. We’d rather stop and give up. But let me encourage you to hang on and keep walking one step at a time.
And one day we just might wake up to a sunny day.
***Would love to hear your thoughts.
***There is a sign-up on the home page to receive these weekly blogs.
#Grief #Christian #Counseling #BlogonGrief #Help,Hope and Healing #Author
Real hope in perilous times
3/22/2020 1:40:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren M.A., L.P.C.
The Craziness of Grief
9/14/2019 4:00:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
How I Almost Missed Out
8/23/2019 7:45:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Weathering the Storms of Life
8/15/2019 3:00:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Is There Purpose in Pain? (And Why it Matters)
4/27/2019 8:05:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Good Grief
4/11/2019 1:00:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
The Truth About Grief (And How God Uses It for Our Good)
4/4/2019 11:03:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Is It Ok for a Christian to be Depressed?
3/27/2019 3:10:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
The Truth about the Good Old Days
3/22/2019 10:13:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Do You Struggle with What God Allows?
3/13/2019 4:15:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Keep Walking
2/26/2019 8:15:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Embrace Your Season
2/23/2019 1:13:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
How to Have Peace in a Chaotic World
2/12/2019 9:06:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
There's Always Hope
2/5/2019 3:00:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Prayer the Solution to a Common Condition
1/29/2019 5:09:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
The Connection Between Health and Loss--My Personal Story
1/22/2019 12:00:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
How Not to Be Cranky
1/16/2019 11:30:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Does God Promise Healing?
1/8/2019 1:41:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
An Answer to a Desperate Prayer
1/1/2019 7:00:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Santa on Social Media?
12/26/2018 9:02:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren, M.A., LPC
5 Myths of Christmas
12/17/2018 3:05:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren, M.A., LPC and Patricia Durgin
7 Tips on Handling Family Drama (Proven Strategies)
12/12/2018 9:35:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
God's Promise to the Weary
12/4/2018 9:24:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Hope for the Frazzled Part Two
11/27/2018 3:30:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Hope for the Frazzled
11/20/2018 12:00:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
8 Pitfalls to Avoid being Stuck
11/14/2018 8:00:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Problems as Gifts
11/5/2018 10:55:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Breaking Free from Past Losses
10/30/2018 8:30:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren, M.A., LPC and Patricia Durgin
God's Bootcamp
10/23/2018 8:35:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Time Out
10/16/2018 8:50:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA, LPC
Freedom through Forgiveness
10/9/2018 8:06:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
What Not to Do When Dreams Turn to Nightmares
10/2/2018 8:35:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
God's Detours
9/25/2018 9:00:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
My Personal Grief Journey--Part 2
9/11/2018 8:20:00 AM by: Abbigail Kalaf MS LPC BCPCC
My Personal Grief Journey--Part 1
9/4/2018 8:05:00 AM by: Abbigail Kalaf MS LPC BCPCC
Where is God in the Storm?
8/28/2018 10:30:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Getting to the Other Side of Grief
8/21/2018 9:25:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Billy Graham's Insights on Grieving
8/14/2018 9:00:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
When Doing Right Turns Out Wrong
8/7/2018 11:20:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
The Connection between Clutter and Grief
7/31/2018 8:34:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
A Simple Quiz on Grief
7/24/2018 8:30:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
The #1 Gift to Give to a Grieving Friend
6/26/2018 9:04:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
10 Things Not to Say to a Grieving Person
6/19/2018 9:00:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Do Christians Grieve Differently?
6/5/2018 8:25:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Press on Toward the Goal
5/22/2018 11:30:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
From Brokenness to Wholeness Podcast
5/8/2018 10:10:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
The Blessing of Walking by Faith
5/1/2018 1:20:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Grief Ten Years Later
1/20/2018 1:35:00 PM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
Welcome, My First Blog
1/19/2018 11:08:00 AM by: Dee Lundgren MA LPC
