On day 8 of my 11 day training camp experience, we faced “The Hike.” The anticipation to this big event had been building up, not only the whole time we were there, but before we even left the comfort of our homes. We would have to complete a 2.2 mile hike in 38 minutes. Now this sounds easy, but then add a 40 pound pack and the Georgia heat and all of the sudden it seems practically impossible.
I had prepared before I left and was feeling pretty confident until my team was up and we were receiving instructions and we were told we could walk up hill, but had to jog on flat ground and run downhill if we were going to make it on time. Suddenly doubt began to fill my brain. Could I do this? Had I prepared enough? Overwhelmed by all these feelings, I put on a smile and decided I was going to push myself to the finish. I would finish on time. The only problem was that I was relying on my own strength, not the strength of the Lord. We did the same lap twice and after completing about a lap and 2/3 of the next, I began to feel dizzy. The heat exhaustion had conquered me. I no longer felt strong and I had to pull over and sit down for a bit to regain my strength. I went on to finish, but crossed the finish line far too late finishing in about 50 minutes rather than 38.
Through the course of the rest of the day, I felt defeated. I hadn’t done it. I hadn’t completed the hike on time. I was, in my eyes, a failure. As we went through sessions and team times throughout the course of the day my mind was in a completely different place. My teammates and squad mates were trying to encourage me, but it didn’t feel genuine because my mind was totally in a different place. That was until I had a reality check and realized I had never once pulled God into the situation for clarity. As I began to pray, I began to realize the truth they were speaking into me. I completed a really hard task that day, and sure, it wasn’t on time, but it was something I had never done and never thought I would do. I realized that I was relying on my own strength, not only to complete the hike, but also to overcome my feelings of defeat, and I needed to understand that had to change if I was going to complete this hike on time.
That night, we were all pulled together and told that we were going to have to redo the hike if our team hadn’t finished on time. At first my stomach dropped and my heart began to beat uncontrollably. I almost felt angry as I sat there and thought through it. Then, as I turned my perspective around, I began to thank God for second chances. Although I didn’t yet see it, there was a reason my leaders and God wanted me to do this hike again.
I woke up bright and early the next morning to begin the journey of hike round two. I felt anxious as I packed my things and began to just pray over and over that the Lord be with me and my team. I also had a huge team of prayer warriors cheering me on at home. This wasn’t going to be easy, but through the strength of the Lord I could conquer it. As I walked down with my pack to the starting point, I feel like the Lord sent me an answer to prayer and his name was John, my mobilizer. He had come ready and eager to hike right alongside our squad. He took off with our team and the journey had begun. John walked by me and encouraged me every step of the way. He held my hand and pulled me along when I felt too weak. He pushed me when I felt I couldn’t take another step and helped pace me. He took me to new heights and helped me attain limits I never knew I could. He helped me realize my strength was in the Lord when I felt the Lord had left me. I believe God sent John to help me push when I didn’t think I could any longer. I crossed the finish line at 36 minutes meaning I had cut my time by 14 minutes. God is so so so good.
I know so many posts have been written and read about the dreadful hike, but that only goes to show how truly powerful it is. It changed my view on where I stand and taught me that with the help of God anything can be accomplished. I can do hard things with the Lord on my side. The hike gave a whole new meaning to the verse Philippians 4:13 which says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
This experience will be so applicable to things I face on the race and in life. There will be times where I don’t think I can carry on. There will be times where my strength isn’t enough. There will be times where I fail and because of the grace of God I will get a second chance. There will be times I feel defeated and don’t want to get up and dust myself off. But through all these times, as John was there to push me and the Lord was working inside me, the spirit will be right there with me holding my hand and pulling me through if I allow him to enter and be there for me. This hike, although it seemed like boot camp in the moment, served as so much more than just a test of physical strength, but also lead me down a path of stronger spiritual strength.
