Winter in the Spring

So April started out a bit colder than I thought it would be... but it sure did start out beautifully! Lately I have been constantly reminded of the beauty that can only come through difficulty and perseverance. This past four days on skis was one of the most exhausting trips I have ever taken. It wasn't just the difficulty for me of travelling over the most challenging terrain I have faced yet, but it had a lot to do with constantly fighting the bitter cold and the unwelcome wind, not to mention dehydration and an aggravated body. Up on the ridge of Baldy Peak there is simply no shelter... no escape from the elements... yet that's where we camped. The summit area truly felt like another planet that I was somehow enabled to roam. Hardened snow encased everything. The wind swept remarkable patterns into the surface of the snow and huge overhanging cornices formed along the ridge. At times I felt like I was walking through a graveyard of stone giants frozen over the centuries they had been there. "I shouldn't be here. This isn't a place for humans," I thought... "But I AM here... for some reason I've been allowed to enter this world!" And by some weird grace I WAS allowed to enter.

But more and more I am believing that we have the choice of whether or not to enter. I used to believe that God simply laid all of the blessings he had for us into our laps as we sat there, like on Christmas day. But I think some blessings are saved only for those who persevere... for those who are willing to take the hard road because of the good that is promised in it. These are the men and women God seeks... the men and women who seek after him despite the cost because of the hope and promise they have in him. This last trip up the mountain for the winter had me constantly enduring, constantly choosing to go on and step into the challenge of the circumstances and environment. Yet every new corner revealed a beauty that my dreams hadn't yet uncovered for me, and my spirit was swept off of its feet!

How often do we avoid the conflict at hand or walk away from the promise given to us because we perceive that the cost is too high for us? It isn't usually as tangible as a mountain to climb, but it's the opportunity God has given us to walk in the strength he gives us in order to see him on the other side. I desire to live like this, though I know the cost DOES often seem too high, but maybe my vision for the beauty that lies on the other side is just too weak!