Literally. It was pretty great!
I went to Asheville, NC this past weekend to visit my brother & sister-in-law. They just recently moved there from Atlanta. Asheville is a beautiful city tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was a breathtaking drive through the mountains and I recommend everyone takes a trip to Asheville just to experience the views.
So, anyways, on Saturday we decided to go hiking, and hike we did. We went to Catawba Falls near Old Fort, NC. The hike to the lower falls was about 1.5 miles but that wasn’t far enough so we hiked to the upper falls.
When we got to the Upper falls we saw that the water fall continued ALL the way up to the top of the mountain…so obviously we had to see if we could get to the top. So we continued up and finally made it to the top. It was breath-taking. The trail ended about 100-200 feet below the falls so we couldn’t get to the very top but it was still an awesome experience. The view from the top of the mountain was amazing and the falls were magnificent. It was a reminder of how GREAT our God is. Only he could create something so spectacular.
(One section of the falls) (another section)
(view from the side of the mountain)
(the final section of the falls; a.k.a. the end of the trail)
The hike also reminded me about how life can be. The trail started out easy like life does. But then we ran into an obstacle where we had to cross the river by walking across a log which was just one challenge. The trail continued on and slowly got harder and harder and we had to watch every step so we didn’t slip. After each steep section in the trail we were rewarded with being able to experience the beauty of a section of the waterfalls. And then finally, after the final section of the trail we had reached our goal and the end result was rewarding and breathtaking.
I think this is how life is; it starts out easy, but then we run into some challenges and have to rely on God to help us through these times. With each challenge will come a reward and life will continue to have its ups and downs but the end result (heaven!) will all be worth it.
So, just remember that no matter what you are going through there is joy to be found in the trial that you are facing and that God will continue to guide you and it will all be worth it in the end.
“ Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” -James 1: 2-4
*I want to thank you for your continued support and also thank you to all who bought a T-shirt! It was a successful fundraiser and I am already 55% of the way towards my goal all because of your support. So thank you again!
~Andrea
