the hike!

This past weekend, a few of the volunteers (including me of course), led by Denzel, went on a hike in the mountains near Stellenbosch (the winelands). The mountain range was called “New Mountain” in Afrikaans. It was a brutal, but beautiful weekend.

“Be still and know that I am God.” –Psalm 46:10

That is about the only way I can describe the hike this weekend. The views, the stars, the excruciating pain; all glorious in their own way. There’s just something about being out in the wild-wide open spaces… the quiet… the stillness… so much that you can almost hear the world turn. There are times when it’s so silent, you wonder if all time has stopped. Just for a moment.

You then can hear the tiny whisper of God as His spirit blows about. There are times on a 3-day hike when you want to give up, pass out, die. Okay, maybe not that extreme, but when you see a mountain that still needs climbing when you are so close to the end, it’s hard not to get that sinking feeling.

Hiking is a brilliant metaphor for our lives with Christ… Not that you haven’t heard that before. There will always be mountains. There will always be pain. There will always be struggle before the end. We just have to push through to sense the relief of a summit or taste the victory of the end… the final stretch. We were never promised a perfect life, but we were promised a perfect love and a perfect grace. The mountains we face and climb only shape who we are. We become stronger with every step… every ache… every sinking feeling.

As we overcome our obstacles and trials, we are becoming who we ARE. Who we are truly meant to be.

-Kristen