Greetings from Nepal!
My team and I were able to go “trekking” for a few days this past week. I have “hiked” the hills of Tennessee many times, but this was my first “trekking” experience climbing a mountain – part of the Himalayan Mountains. (Who would have ever guessed that I would do something like that?! Only God!) 🙂
I want to say that I was ready for this excursion, but I would be lying. I was quite nervous about two days of trekking, but praise the Lord we succeeded! And along the way, I learned some great spiritual lessons. I thought I would share with you below…
“Sweat”
1) Physically: Let’s be honest, no one really enjoys sweating. It’s uncomfortable, you feel self-conscious, and it stains your clothes! (That’s a problem when you only own 7 shirts on the race!)
2) Spiritually: Man, doesn’t God make us sweat sometimes? He calls us to let go of fear, He teaches us to trust Him when there are no answers, and sometimes we are emotionally depleted.
“Dirt”
1) Physically: Let’s be honest, dirt stains are the worst! It takes a lot of effort to clean and sometimes you have to throw that shirt in the wash machine several times.
2) Spiritually: I know we’ve all had “spiritual dirt” in our lives. Such as, sinful habits or simply having a bad attitude about our circumstances. And whew! These “dirt stains” take such a long time to clean. God has to “wash” us a few times until those sinful habits and bad attitudes are eradicated from our life.
“Treks”
1) Physically: Let’s be honest, who wants to succumb to high elevations, inclines, and steep declines? (This is where all of the sweat and dirt come in!)
2) Spiritually: This is where God calls us higher and out of our comfort zones. He asks us to follow Him up, around, down, and up again!
“Trails”
1) Physically: Let’s be honest, when you are walking on new trails in a new country your “tour guide” is your best friend! You trust him to take you where you need to go on those mountains. You know you cannot reach your destination without him. And since you know he will lead you home, you have the ability to look around and enjoy the beautiful trails around you.
2) Spiritually: God walks with us on so many different trails and seasons of our life. He is our “spiritual tour guide.” And when we realize He knows the way, we can look around at our beautiful life and simply enjoy the view, knowing He is guiding us home!
So thank you, Lord, for teaching me more about Your character through these difficult physical experiences. And I pray God gives you insight through your own sweat, dirt, treks, and trails! Just simply enjoy – He’s leading you closer to home day by day!
Much love,
Melissa
And here’s a few pictures from this crazy adventure!
Isaiah 58:11
“And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”
