Take A Hike!

Here in Montana, one of the best activities to do in this gorgeous piece of the country is to go hiking. Many hikes out here are deep into the mountainous valleys with scenic overlooks awaiting at the end of the trail. I myself have been blessed enough to go on a few of these hikes. There is something about hiking that is different from everyday life. In life, if you have had enough of something, you can just quit doing it and move onto something else. You can stop a movie to go play outside, you can get up from dinner and go to a friends house. You are not just plain stuck there. 

Hiking is a little bit different! The longer you hike, the longer it takes to just leave if you have had enough of it. I was taking a hike over in the beautiful Bitteroot Mountains in Western Montana and we had traveled quite the distance in and one of the missionaries began to get quite tired, enough so that he would need to lay down periodically to catch his breathe. But he was determined to make it to the end of the hike to the lake. After a much longer time than expected we had all pushed through and made it! What a feeling it was to know that we made it all the way up. After a glorious break from walking at our destination, we soon had to make the hike back so we could get home. The hike was equally long and arduous with some slips and falls, but we all knew we just couldn't stop, we needed to press on. If we stopped, there would be nothing to do, nowhere to go. So we finished and all enjoyed relaxing our feet after a 6 and a half hour long trip.

Sometimes in life we are in very tough situations, Heavenly Father gives us mountains to climb to push us to become the people he needs us to be. And many times, I have found myself in a spot where I cannot stop continuing to push forward or else I will face severe consequences. But when I would pick myself up and push forward having faith that I would make it and the God would help me, it made the journey seem a lot easier. I know all who read this will in the future or maybe even are in this situation. My plea is to NEVER lose hope, NEVER give up! Keep pushing, no matter how far away the end of the trail is, it is worth it to make it there. I know from personal experience that lingering in one area is demoralizing and can even be dangerous. Christ is always there with His arms extended towards you to turn to him to ease your burdens as long as you are willing to do your part and push forward.