Friday, September 12, 2008

The law of the trail...

Barr Trail is the name of the foot path that leads to the top of Pikes Peak. I have a Colorado trails guidebook that describes Barr Trail in ten pages of great detail. Here's one part that jumped out at me:

After the first set of switchbacks, the trail flattens out and passes through a natural rock arch. Beyond the arch, you will learn the law of the Barr trail: Every flat section is quickly followed by a steep section.

Isn't that so much like life?

Every easy phase seems to be followed by one that is hard and steep.

I had a great day yesterday. I dropped the girls off at school and then spent the entire day scrapbooking and laughing and talking with friends. It was just what I needed! I picked Will up after school and he was in one of his talky moods telling me everything from the status of his grades to the girl he thinks is "hot"--oh my! Later, I made dinner and the new recipe I tried was delicious. Everyone ate without complaining, and to top it all off, there was minimal time spent around the table doing homework. It really was a good day--an easy section of the trail.

And then this morning. Boom. Things got steep quickly, and trust me, it was rough. Nothing about this morning felt easy. I wanted to fling my "mom backpack" off and run back down the trail screaming. Ugh. We could all use a do-over around here.

Thinking back over the course of my life, the law of the trail seems to hold true. Easy followed by hard, then more easy followed by more hard.

The trail book tells me when to expect the easy and encourages me to enjoy it because the hard is quick to follow. I wish I had a guidebook for this trail called life. Oh, wait--I do, and thankfully it's more than ten pages long. Here's what I'm hanging onto in the steep of today.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run climb with perseverance the race trail marked out for us.
Hebrews 12:1-3



PS--Tomorrow I'm actually heading up Barr Trail with the goal of summiting Pikes Peak. If you think about it, pray for me! I'm very excited but a bit nervous too!

14 comments:

Megan L Hutchings said...

I am so glad that you had a fabulous Thursday and I am equally sorry that you had such a rough morning! I hope your journey on Barr Trail is a good one ;)!

Leah Belle said...

SO TOMORROW'S THE BIG DAY! I'm so excited for you. Don't forget your camera! Will be praying and wishing I was with you!

Sorry your morning was rough. I know exactly what you mean and I am so grateful for God's grace and forgiveness!

Becky said...

Good Luck tomorrow and have a great time! Can't wait to see the pictures.

Will should NOT be anywhere old enough to refer to girls as HOT! How quickly the "girls have cooties" phase passes..

Becca~CapturingSimpleJoys said...

I enjoyed this post. True life! Have fun tomorrow!

Marc and Charity said...

man, you are so right. thanks for this today.

Moriah @ Please Pass the Salt said...

So true! i can't believe your PP climb is tomorrow!

Stephanie Kay said...

What a great post!! Can't wait to hear about your hike. Don't forget your camera!! = )

Kelly @ Love Well said...

Great analogy. And boy do I relate. Every other day, latelyI seem to have my tushy whupped by three little ones under four feet tall.

Have fun tomorrow! I can't wait to hear your report.

Tiffani said...

Wow!! I'm so excited for your climb!! What a great lesson/reminder in all of this...thanks for sharing!!

virginia said...

Keep sharing those recipes. The ones I have tried have all been great

Unknown said...

Love this post. It's so very, very true.

Michelle@Life with Three said...

I'm a little behind on my blog reading -- but so glad to have found this post in my reader! It's such a good reminder and something I really needed to hear today. Thanks for the encouragement! :)

Gretchen said...

What a beautiful post. One of my faves.

Recipe, please. xxxooo

Jenn said...

This was a great post - love that verse.

So glad you had time with friends the day before and such a great day. Are you going to share the new recipe?

Sorry for the yucky morning. I hope today was great my friend.