Encouragement for the Journey

Be encouraged! The view in the end, will be worth every difficult step.

My family enjoys hiking together. We don’t love the same music or the same movies, but we do enjoy the gift of nature. When we decide we want to go somewhere, one of us will usually Google it, get a few reviews and some directions and off we go. This system usually works well for us.

There was a time when we didn’t pack any water and gave up before we got to our destination. There was another time when we unknowingly hiked into the edge of a giant forest fire. Needless to say, we made it back off of that mountain in record time! But, for the most part, our system works.

On a recent hike, when we finally found a place to park on the edge of a gravel road, we headed across a bridge where we saw other people going across. But, when we saw a sign for the Appalachian Trail, my hubby questioned if we were heading in the right direction. My son happened to have some very spotty phone reception and figured out that we were going the opposite way of the waterfall that we were seeking.

We  laughed as we turned around, but I’ll have to admit I felt a little frustrated. I like to plan our excursions a little better, but we had spent time debating what we wanted to do and we had ridden around lost with no cell service, before we actually found the turn off. Then we ended up going in the wrong direction.

Once we got on the right trail, the scenery was beautiful and we got into a rhythm when my foot hit a hard root. It was just a minor injury, but my big toe began to throb. The hike was taking longer than expected and I began to regret not bringing water along.

Just as I was thinking about grumbling, a woman passed by coming back down the trail with a big grin and she said, “The view is totally worth it.”

Those few words of encouragement were all I needed. I got my second wind and walked again, with purpose. She was right. The view was stunning.

I thought about that sweet lady long after our hike. I thought about how a few kind words made all of the difference and how we would have missed out on something truly amazing if we would have turned back. She didn’t have to say anything at all to us, but something led her to share.

The longer we live, the more trails we have walked. There’s wisdom that comes from living. We can choose to keep it to ourselves. We can choose to grab the megaphone of social media to tell others how they should be walking or we can choose to encourage the people who God puts in our path, to keep going, one step at a time, reminding them that the view in the end, is worth every difficult step and that God has a purpose for their journey.

God has a purpose for your journey too. Be encouraged. The view will be worth it. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂