What the Lord had to say on Volcan Acatenango

So when the Lord gives you 10 hours with Him on a hike, He can reveal a lot. Especially when you’re trying not to think about the hike itself.

-Perseverance- this hike was honestly the most difficult physical activity I’ve ever done. All I could do was keep putting one foot in front of the other and I made it.

-Worth it- The best things in life are the things you have to work for. The things you have to pursue. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the worthwhile things in life aren’t usually easy or everyone would be able to experience them.

-Rod- So before we started our hike some locals offered us these wooden walking sticks. 5 quetzals. Let me tell you- the best 5q’s I’ve spent in Guatemala! For some reason I thought that since it was a long hike that it would be a relatively flat. Sorely mistaken. That Rod became my comfort when the path was steepest. When my legs didn’t want to push anymore I could press into that staff. I got a whole new understanding and physical picture of Psalm 23:4, “your rod and staff comfort me.”

-For the final assent to the summit we were in the dark and my headlamp stopped working. The whole time I had to follow Taylor’s footsteps. Like literally step by step. When I looked off the path I couldn’t see anything but steep darkness. Through that experience the Lord was showing me a picture of how I should be following His guiding and His footsteps. Proverbs 3:6, “He’ll keep your paths straight”
Two other things from this illustration-
1. when we step out of God’s will there are consequences- the cliffs on the side of the path
2. God will protect and there is safety in His will. There is security in His footsteps

-Fear. So the last leg of the climb was pretty scary. It was pitch black. 4am. No headlamp. Shoes with way less tread than I realized. Slippery volcanic ash. Steepness on both sides and not much to stop us if we slipped. For the first time in the hike I felt fearful. I thought about stopping or turning back but my desire to see the view overwhelmed any fear I felt. I think that was a solid lesson in courage. Fear is only a problem if you let it effect your actions.

-WORTH IT- I repeat. This trip was SO WORTH IT. The journey was worth the pain. The lessons were worth the struggle. The whole experience is something I will never forget.

I’m so grateful to be able to see God’s majesty through His creation and experience the world in a new, fresh, exciting way.

Dad, you wouldn’t loved the heights 😉