I’ve been thinking about burnout. It is a hot topic in medicine these days. Estimates from January, 2019, indicate that more than 40% of physicians are experiencing burnout, which the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality defines as a long-term stress reaction marked by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a lack of sense of personal accomplishment. Of course burnout is not unique to doctors, and it seems to escalate for many during the holidays.

One suggestion I have heard for preventing or recovering from burnout is to “know your why.” Don’t lose sight of your purpose. Remind yourself that there is a reason for that in which you are investing yourself, and not just any reason, but a reason that really matters. This is having vision. Vision fights burnout.

Let me tell you about my friend. We were sitting together last week, talking, and she mentioned that her job is hard. Trust me, her job is hard! She is a social worker for adults with special needs, and she finds herself a part of some difficult stories, trying to bring stability and resources so individuals can function and flourish. She cares, and that adds to the burden of her work. On top of that, she works in a setting that often reminds her of her own son, who passed away almost two years ago. This is a set up for burnout! But let me tell you what she said as she spoke about her work. She said that it is important to her to maintain her connection to the special needs community and to keep her family connected there also. She wants to give her experience and effort to help others the way she received help when she was caring for a child with special needs. She keeps at it, even in difficult times, because she has vision and purpose.

Here’s another example: another friend of mine has recently moved with her family from one state to another. Like any transition, this has had some trauma attached to it, and has necessitated some re-defining of her vision. This week, because of connections she has made since she has moved and because of her training as a dental assistant, she was able to help out when a kid had a dental injury. On the surface, she felt that it was a small thing, but when she thought about it later, she realized that it was a sign that she is where God wants her to be, doing what God wants her to do, and that a new vision is developing! Go away, burnout, there is a purpose!

One more story. There is a lady who is fostering two boys. She and her husband are providing a home and love and food and safety. As you might imagine, it is rarely easy. Not only do the children have issues from their past experiences, there is the whole uncertainty about how long they will stay. Will they be with them for Christmas? What will happen to them next year? Just the place for burnout. But what keeps this couple being a family for these boys day after day? They have vision. There is a purpose for what they are doing. It matters.

The Bible talks about vision. Proverbs tells us that “where there is no vision, the people perish:” (Proverbs 29:18). I read as I was studying this that the Hebrew word for perish is a word that was also used to describe a woman’s uncovered hair in the wind, blown in all directions. I sometimes feel that way, pulled here and there and not sure I am going anywhere.

Jesus noticed people living that way. In Matthew 9:36, we read, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Ever feel harassed and helpless, not sure where to go, lacking vision? There is a Good Shepherd that wants to lead you beside still waters, restore your soul, lead you in right paths for His name’s sake. He wants to give you vision and keep you from overwhelm and burnout.

Your life has purpose. You are here for a reason. Don’t get discouraged. Ask Jesus to show you the vision, and keep your eyes on it. There will surely be challenges and hard times. The prophet Isaiah said, “Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” Isaiah 30:20. He wants to lead you and use you. Get a glimpse of the vision! Know your why!

I love the lyrics to the song “Thrive” by Casting Crowns. “…We know we were made for so much more than ordinary lives. It’s time for us to more than just survive. We were made to thrive. Joy unspeakable, faith unsinkable, love unstoppable, anything is possible!”

Especially during this holiday season, let’s not lose our vision and fall prey to burnout. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, let’s remember why. Our big picture vision is to live “for His name’s sake,” like in Psalm 23 and for His kingdom to come in us and in our families and in our communities and in our world.

Another song…

“We Are The Reason”

As little children

We would dream of Christmas morn

Of all the gifts and toys

We knew we’d find

But we never realized

A baby born one blessed night

Gave us the greatest gift of our lives

We were the reason

That He gave His life

We were the reason That He suffered and died

To a world that was lost He gave all He could give

To show us the reason to live

As the years went by

We learned more about gifts

The giving of ourselves

And what that means

On a dark and cloudy day

A man hung crying in the rain

Because of love, all because of love

We were the reason

That He gave His life

We were the reason That He suffered and died

To a world that was lost He gave all He could give

To show us the reason to live

I’ve finally found the reason for living

It’s in giving every part of my heart to Him

In all that I do every word that I say

I’ll be giving my all just for Him, for Him…

We were the reason

That He gave His life We are the reason

That He suffered and died

To a world that was lost He gave all He could give

To show us the reason to live…

He is my reason to live

 

God, thanks that You are our reason to live and that You provide us with purpose and vision and power. You help us thrive as we follow You. Would You walk with us, especially during these days that bring stress and busyness? Would You point us in the direction of the vision You have for us? We want to see You and hear You. Protect us from being overwhelmed and burned out, and help us to share hope with those around us who are feeling that way. We can never say enough to thank You for being Emmanuel, God with us.

 

One thing I’m certain of more than ever is that life goes by fast. I just had a birthday last week, and I turned 44. 44?! How in the world did that happen? Where has the time gone? Not only is life going fast, but the tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. We really don’t know what the future holds and how many moments we have left. If you’re like me, we sure do waste a lot of them, but I won’t dwell on that today. In light of the brevity and fragility of life, I thought I might take the time in this post to share with you some things that I hope you already know.

I hope you know that God is holy. He is perfect and pure, and there is not a trace of any imperfection in Him. This is important to know because when we begin to understand how holy and righteous God is, we begin to also see the truth about ourselves.

“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11) 

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (I John 1:5)

I hope you know that you are a sinner. I know that doesn’t sound very nice, but stay with me. None of us are perfect and holy. We are actually born into sin and live as its captives. We aren’t mostly good with just a few tiny imperfections. That is not what Scripture tells us. We are sinful and capable of doing all kinds of terrible things. (I often joke with people and say that if you aren’t sure if we humans are born in sin, spend some time in the church nursery. Right? No parent has taught their toddler to take toys away from other children, to bite people, or to throw themselves down in fury when they aren’t getting their way. That comes naturally. We have to teach them NOT to do those things. If we were born basically good, the church nursery experience would be a whole different thing.)

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23)

The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good. God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 53:1-3)

“For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” (James 2:10)

I hope you know that your sin separates you from God. God isn’t neutral about sin. In His purity and holiness, He hates sin. He isn’t mean – He’s holy. Our sin keeps us from a right standing with God, and our sinful state will separate us from Him for eternity.

“For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23)

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” (Romans 1:18)

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” (Ephesians 2:1-3)

I hope you know that you can’t do enough good things to make up for your sin. It’s impossible. You can’t do it. No amount of good works that you do will ever earn you peace with God. More than anything, I want you to know that this sin issue is something that you can not fix on your own. Your good deeds do not cancel out your sin. There’s not a scale in the sky that is measuring your good against your bad. There’s no peace in working to fix this. If you could work to pay for your sins, how would you ever know at what point the scale was tipped in your favor? It’s admirable to do good things, but it won’t pay your sin debt off. If today you are counting on an eternity in heaven because of the good things you do, I implore you to keep reading.

“We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isaiah 64:6) 

“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7)  

I hope you know that you are loved by God. You are SO loved. God’s love for you isn’t just words. He demonstrated His great love for you at a very high price. (I pray that as you continue reading, you will understand in greater measure how very much you are loved.)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)  

I hope you know that Jesus is the only way that you can be made right with God and have eternal life in Heaven. Jesus paid it all. Even though you are a sinner, He died for you. He took the punishment for your sins and made a way for you to have peace with God. This peace doesn’t depend on your performance or how many good things you do. It’s all about Him. He left the majesty of Heaven to enter the restrictions of time and space as a human. He lived a perfect life in your place and then died a cruel death in your place. He has made a way for you to be right with God and to spend eternity in Heaven. What a gift of love!

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'” (John 14:6)

“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” (I Timothy 2:5-6)  

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.  (Romans 5:6-11)

I hope you know that salvation comes only through repentance and faith in Jesus. Salvation is a free gift. Repentance and faith are gifts too. Repentance is simply agreeing with God that you are a sinner and that you cannot save yourself. It is a turning away in your heart from the sins that have held you captive and calling out to Jesus for freedom from these sins. To have faith in Jesus is simply to trust that the price He paid is sufficient to cover your sins and to make you right with God. Repent and believe – it really is that simple.

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)

I hope you know that you can be free from sin and made new. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done. Jesus came to set you free from the power of sin and death and to give you new life. Only God can take your surrendered, broken life and make it a trophy of His amazing grace.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)  

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:4-9)  

I hope you know for sure that you will spend eternity with Jesus. May you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you will live forever with Jesus in Heaven. Life here is so short in comparison with eternity. Being confident of your eternal destination will fill you with peace and joy. Nothing here on this earth can rob you of the hope of Heaven and uninterrupted fellowship with the One Who loves you beyond comprehension. 

“‘Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.'”  (John 14:1-3)

These are the things that I hope you know because these are the most important things. 

If you don’t already know all of these things, I’m praying that God will use these words to work in your heart by His Holy Spirit. May your eyes be opened to these truths, and may you know personally the miracle of salvation and the life-changing power of God.

If you do already know all of these things, I hope, like me, that you feel a new sense of wonder. We could spend a lifetime pondering these truths and still be continually amazed at the love and grace of God. Oh, how He loves us! I also hope that you have opportunities this week to share these truths with others – to be ambassadors for Christ, letting God make His appeal through you. It is a privilege and a precious responsibility to be entrusted with the message of reconciliation.

“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he (God) made him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-21)

Dear Father, we agree with Your Word. You are holy and perfect. We are sinners in desperate need of Your grace. We cannot pay for our own sins. We cannot do enough good things to make up for our sins against You. We are in need of a Savior. Thank you SO MUCH for loving us enough to send Your Son, Jesus, to pay the debt that we owed. We don’t have the words to express our gratitude, but our hearts are filled with wonder that You love us that much. Thank You for the free gift of salvation, for the transforming work of Your Holy Spirit in our hearts, and for the hope of spending all of forever in Your presence. Help us this week to remember that You have entrusted us with the message of reconciliation. May we be true ambassadors for Christ, letting You appeal to others through us. Amen.

-Dana

In our family, we like football.  For some of us, that is definitely an understatement.   Take Jack, who is basically all football all the time.  He takes his stance and runs plays up and down the hall, plays Madden ‘19 like nobody’s business, and wears nothing but his Ohio State jerseys to school.  He even called me for delay of game one morning because I was cooking breakfast instead of hiking the imaginary ball.  Then there is Marco, who just wrapped up his 8th grade football season, coming back after a clavicle fracture to play four of his best games yet.

Last Sunday night was the junior high football banquet, where we dined on pizza and celebrated the season.  The coach spent some time talking about each player, and as I mentally recapped his comments last week, some life advice jumped out at me.  Mind if I share?

Be a leader.  If you heard coach say anything at the banquet, you heard this.  He praised several of the players for their leadership and told more than a few that they need to be better leaders.  He said he wants all the players to be leaders, and he explained that he means learning the skill of encouraging their teammates and inspiring their best efforts, especially when things aren’t going very well.  That’s something we all should be reaching toward.  We need to be the voice of kindness and encouragement that lifts others up.  This is important all the time, but vital when hard times hit.

Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Hebrews 10:24 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on to love and good deeds…”

Jesus was very clear that if we want to lead, that means serving, and He was the perfect example of servant leadership.

Get strong and put your time in.  Our boys spend a lot of time working out during the off season. The coach emphasized this over and over, pointing out how the effort invested in getting stronger translated directly into more confidence and success on the field.  Once again, we can apply this to our own lives.  As we discipline ourselves to “put our time in” developing spiritually, we get stronger.  That always pays off in better performance in the “game of life,” and even yields rewards that last for eternity.

Paul wrote to Timothy, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. … be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.”  I Timothy 4:8,15

Grow. One thing about 7th and 8th grade boys is that they are growing.  Some of them feel pretty small, and the coach just encouraged them that they will grow.  People grow at different paces, but we all grow. When we feel frustrated by lessons we are still struggling to learn or areas where we need improvement, sometimes we need to remind ourselves to be patient.  We are still growing.

2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To him be glory both now and forever!  Amen.”

 

Stick with it. It is important to the football program that the kids keep on playing.  The coach pointed this out, and made it clear that everyone had value on the team.  Here again, what great advice for us!  Don’t give up or drop out.  You matter!

Romans 12:4-6 “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.”

 

The coach personally spoke to every player at that banquet, congratulating them on their accomplishments and telling them where he wanted them to focus their efforts.  It was so fun to watch!  It might be a little picture of how it will be for us one day when we meet our Coach face to face. Let’s keep our focus and seek His kingdom so we can hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Matthew 25:23

God, may all these things be true of us. Teach us how to be leaders, especially during difficult seasons. Let us be diligent and disciplined to spend time in prayer and in Your presence so we can be strong.  When we get discouraged, remind us that we are still growing.  And may we stick with it as we follow You.  You are our reward.  

-Leah

As many of you know, I have the honor and privilege of being married to a pastor. (Shout out to my sweet husband, Aaron, one of God’s very good gifts to me!) He has been preaching through Luke and just finished chapter 6 – Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Mount. If you ever get to thinking that you’re doing pretty well in your Christian walk, take some time to read through the Sermon on the Mount, and you will find yourself falling so short of the high standards that Jesus laid out. Much could be and has been written about that one sermon, but I want to share with you the verse that most grabbed my attention and challenged my heart.

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)

Eight words that stop me in my tracks. “Be merciful” is a pretty high standard on its own, but wait – there’s more. “Be merciful just as your Father is merciful.” In my own words, “When it comes to mercy, be just like your Father.” Wow. Talk about setting the bar high. In order for us to really understand what that means, we have to take a few moments to investigate and understand our Father’s mercy. 

Just to make sure we’re all thinking in the same way, here’s a quick overview of what ‘mercy’ means as given to us by Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary – 1) compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one’s power; 2) a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion; 3) compassionate treatment of those in distress. Basically, it is choosing to extend kindness and forgiveness to someone instead of punishment or harm. It’s a decision to forego the revenge that someone deserves in favor of showing compassion to that person.

So, what do we know about our Father’s mercy?

God’s mercy is endless. It is impossible to use up all of God’s mercy. It doesn’t have a limit. As sure as we can count on the sun rising tomorrow, we can count on the continued existence of God’s mercy.

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1)

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. (I Chronicles 16:34)

“And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: ‘Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever.”’ (II Chronicles 20:21)

(These are just three of MANY verses that say this exact thing. That tag line “His mercy endures forever” is all throughout Scripture.)

God is rich in mercy, and His mercy abounds. God is not stingy with His mercy. He freely lavishes it on us.

“The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.” (Psalm 103:8)

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7)

God’s mercy leads us to salvation. It’s because of His mercy that He saves us. Instead of giving us what we deserve, in His mercy, He draws us near and gives to us the free gift of salvation.

“But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7) 

“ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (I Peter 1:2-5)

God’s mercy is new every day. Every single day, we get a clean slate. God is not keeping a record of our wrongs, but He promises new mercy for us every morning.

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”  (Lamentations 3:21-23)

This is surely not a comprehensive list of all the facets of God’s mercy, but hopefully, it provides us with at least an overview. In the words of Charles Spurgeon –

“God’s mercy is so great that you may sooner drain the sea of its water, or deprive the sun of its light, or make space too narrow, than diminish the great mercy of God.”

Now that we have pondered some of the truths about God’s mercy, let’s consider again the imperative that Jesus issued to us. “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Let’s look at just a few more verses that issue similar challenges.

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

“For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2:13)

“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:23-35)

The question we’re left with is this – What is our mercy like? Is our mercy just like the mercy of our Father? When I search my own heart, sadly I can’t always answer that in the affirmative. So many times, I’m just like that servant we just read about. I’ve been shown so much mercy and then I find myself so impatient with others and unwilling to dole out even a little bit of mercy to them. Oh, how I need the help of the Holy Spirit to carry out this simple command from Jesus to be merciful. 

When I sat and listened to my husband preach about this little 8-word verse in Luke, I wrote in the margin of my Bible, “His mercy is new every morning. Is mine?” As I ponder those traits of God’s mercy we just reviewed, I have to ask myself, “Do I live in this way? Do I extend mercy that is abundant, that is without a limit, that gives a clean slate to others, that points others to salvation?”

In my own strength, this is an impossibility, but by God’s grace at work in me, my life can be marked by the mercy I show to others. When I let God’s Spirit flow through me in acts of mercy to others, I am putting the Gospel on display and pointing others to the greatest Source of mercy we will ever know.

“The Gospel is good news of mercy to the undeserving. The symbol of the religion of Jesus is the cross, not the scales.” John Stott

Dear Father, Your mercy is beyond our ability to comprehend. It humbles us and leaves us lost in gratitude that You have chosen not to give us what we deserve, but to extend Your kindness and forgiveness to us. Please help us to live our lives in the light of Your mercy and to be extensions of that mercy to those around us. Forgive us for all the times that we have fallen so short and have begrudged others of mercy when You have been so rich in mercy to us. Help us, by Your Spirit at work within us, to be merciful just as You are merciful. May our lives be marked by mercy, and may we show ourselves to be Your true children by the way that we live out the truths of the Gospel. Amen.

-Dana

Want to go hiking with me?  My husband and I had the incredible experience of doing what was described as the “quintessential Yosemite hike” this week.  14 miles round trip, 1,775 ft of elevation gain, culminating at 9,900 feet with breathtaking views of Yosemite Valley and the Sierra Nevada mountains.  We were actually looking down on Half Dome from above!  The hike was long and definitely arduous at times, but well worth all of the energy we expended.

Of course, me being me, I spent much of the trip (at least the parts when I wasn’t huffing and puffing) pondering how what I was experiencing was analogous to my faith journey.  Come along with me as I share some thoughts from an unforgettable day.

The name of the mountain, “Clouds Rest,” immediately lends itself to comparing the hike to journeying through life to get to our eternal destination.  Perhaps even more striking than in our lives, the path to Clouds Rest depends very much on the work of those who have gone before us.  Think of the early explorers of this beautiful part of the wilderness who identified spots that were both amazing and reachable.  And the many people who worked for the Civil Conservation Corps building trails that cut around mountains and cross streams and utilize stone stairs, not to mention the people still working to maintain the trails and clear fallen trees and spot potential hazards.  I truly couldn’t have reached Clouds Rest without people preparing the way for me. 

Jesus is the ultimate Way Maker.  He is the one who did the vital and costly work of making a path for us to get to God.  None of the journey is possible without Him.  And imagine all the benefit from those who have walked this path before us, from thousands of years ago to last year.  I love the picture we see from these verses in Hebrews, “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 with perseverance the race marked out for us [or hike the trail cut for us], fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.  For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”  (Hebrews 12:1-3)  How important it is to be thankful for Jesus and those who have led us in our faith, and to use their examples to maintain our energy and keep on trucking. 

In turn, we have a responsibility to pass on that gift to others and help prepare the way for them.  Being honest and real about the obstacles we have faced and overcome (or are facing and are in the process of overcoming) can be such an encouragement to our fellow travelers.  You notice this when hiking.  Often those who are descending will be heard saying things such as “You’re almost there,” or “it is so worth it!” or “you are almost through the hard part.”  Especially if they know that you have “been there,” your encouragement along the faith journey might be the thing that keeps someone pressing on and prevents them from missing the beauty ahead.

Before we started our hike up Clouds Rest, we read about it.  We read about the ups and downs, the strenuous climb between miles 1.5 and 2.5.  We read about how great the views were.  We knew there were times we would be crossing streams (and we knew that they would be dry this time of year).  Knowing what to expect was especially helpful during that 1 mile of steeper climbing, because we knew that it wouldn’t last forever, and that encouraged us to stick with it.  Similarly, we are blessed in life to be able to read about the journey as we are on it.  The Psalmist said, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”  God’s Word has so much to say about what to expect in our lives and how to best navigate the trail.  We do immensely better if we read it.  There’s no need to go at it blind.  In fact, think of the Holy Spirit as your own “trail guide.”  Pay attention to how He leads and rely on Him to illuminate the Bible and cause it to illuminate your path through life. 

On our day hike, we brought along plenty of water, and we brought food for a mountaintop lunch.  Yes, as we journey through life we definitely need to stay nourished, but I bring this up for a different reason.  Jeff carried our supplies in a backpack, and although it wasn’t super heavy, it made climbing more difficult, especially since we had not acclimated to the higher elevation.  As hard as I was working, I realized that he was working much harder, and I wanted to share the load.  I kept asking him if I could carry the pack, and chivalrous (and wise) man that he is, he kept declining.  I’m kind of stubborn though, and one time when we had stopped for a break, I grabbed the backpack and put it on, despite his protests.  I just wanted to carry it a little while and give him a break.  I am sad to say that I couldn’t.  I made it maybe 0.02 miles before I had to admit that I couldn’t carry it.  I joked that “my spirit was willing, but my flesh was weak.”  You recall this reference-Jesus asked His disciples to stay awake and pray in the garden of Gethsemane, and they kept falling asleep.  Those were his words, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  (Matthew 26:41).  As I hiked and thought about a willing spirit and weak flesh, I realized that the best way to change that situation is exercise.  If I want to be able to carry a pack up a mountain, I am going to have to increase my strength, preferably by practicing climbing and carrying.  When it comes to spiritual living, spiritual disciplines if you will, I often find that my spirit is willing but my flesh is weak.  Rather than just resigning myself to that, let me practice and exercise and get stronger.  I want to be able to “watch and pray” like Jesus has asked.

While descending, we passed people that were just starting out on their climbs.  The trail we were on connects to several other trails, including some used by backpackers going on hikes that will last for days or even weeks.  Several of the people we had seen were doing the hike alone, the most notable of these was a woman carrying gear for back-country camping.  Jeff remarked that it wouldn’t be very fun to go backpacking alone, and I responded that it didn’t seem very safe either.  Same with our life hike – it is far better to do it in community than alone.  Don’t let yourself be isolated.  Find people to walk with – it will make the trip more fun and safer.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.  But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.  Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.  But how can one keep warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Thanks for letting me share my hiking musings.  My prayer is that in some way they will help you as you journey.

God, thank You for sending Jesus to make a way for us.  Thank You for all the faithful servants whose paths we can follow on our life’s journeys.  Thank You for the amazing guidebook we have and for Your Holy Spirit Who guides us.  Teach us to practice doing the things You ask us to do.  Please provide a community of believers that can walk beside us.  Grant us endurance as we make our way to the destination You have for us.

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)

-Leah