“No hills, please.” That was a recent thought in my mind as Aaron and I were running in our favorite location, River Cliff Union Cemetery in Mt. Gilead. At the time I was having that thought, I knew a hill was coming, and I wasn’t looking forward to it. You see, my legs prefer a flat route. It’s so much easier that way. As we continued to run, I thought about how I feel the same way when it comes to life in general. No hills, please. Just smooth, easy paths. What purpose do hills serve anyway?

Well, it turns out, they do serve a purpose for runners. According to Runner’s World, running hills improves your running form, improves your muscular strength, and provides a cardiovascular boost. The bottom line is that running a path with hills requires endurance. 

The same can be said for the hills we encounter in our lives too. They require endurance. The Apostle Paul spoke of these things – 

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:1-5 (ESV)  

I recently heard suffering defined by Elisabeth Elliott in this way – “Suffering is having what we don’t want or not having what we do want.” When you think about it in those terms, suffering can mean a lot of different things to different people. Think of suffering like hills in our path. Some are smaller than others. Some are really steep, but short-lived. Others, are steep and seem to go on forever. The truth about these hills is that no matter the size or duration, they produce in us endurance. 

The progression in Romans 5:3 has always been interesting to me. Doesn’t it seem like hope should come first? I have hope so I can endure, right? That’s not what it says though. It says the byproduct of endurance is character, and the byproduct of character is hope. The hope is actually produced from the character that is developed when we learn to endure through hardship and suffering. Those crazy hills DO have a purpose. 

The word for ‘endurance’ in Greek is hypomone. It means steadfastness, patience, constancy. The Strong’s Concordance notes that in the New Testament, it refers to the characteristic of a person who is not swerved from their deliberate purpose and their loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and suffering. Endurance develops our character, which in turn brings us hope. Hope is a beautiful thing. It’s something we definitely want to have, but there isn’t a shortcut to getting it according to this passage in Romans. 

Do you have any hills in your path right now? Take great comfort in the truth that those hills are there for a reason. They are working something in you. Don’t give up. Endure. Persevere. Your character is developing. Hope is growing. In case you need a little more convincing, here are a couple of other truths from God’s Word –

“Count it all joy, my brothers,when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness(hypomone). And let steadfastness (hypomone) have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4 (ESV)  

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance(hypomone)the race that is set before us,looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)  

That race is bound to have some hills, but let’s run it with endurance. Let’s even try to embrace the hills, knowing that they are purposeful and producing something in us that can’t be produced any other way.

Runner’s World gives some advice for how to run uphill – lean into the hill, think about running tall, and look ahead rather than down. Pretty good advice, isn’t it? Let’s lean into the hills that God has made part of our race, let’s think about running tall up those hills, and let’s look to Jesus Who not only founded our faith, but also is perfecting it.

One of my favorite video clips is a scene from the movie Facing the Giants. If you’re facing a hill today, consider taking a moment to watch it. No matter how many times I’ve seen it, it always inspires me to keep pressing on. The link is below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sUKoKQlEC4

Dear Father, I pray for anyone reading this post who is struggling with hardship right now and feels like giving up. Please give them the strength that they need to endure. Help them to lean into the hill, think about running tall, and fix their eyes on You. Surround them with brothers and sisters who will cheer them on and encourage them as they let this hardship develop character in them. I pray that Your work in them will produce abundant hope that will never disappoint because Your love has been poured out in their hearts through the Holy Spirit that You have given to us. Thank you that these hills are purposeful, and that Your grace is sufficient to enable us to keep on running with endurance the race that is set before us. Amen.

-Dana

“No hills, please.” That was a recent thought in my mind as Aaron and I were running in our favorite location, River Cliff Union Cemetery in Mt. Gilead. At the time I was having that thought, I knew a hill was coming, and I wasn’t looking forward to it. You see, my legs prefer a flat route. It’s so much easier that way. As we continued to run, I thought about how I feel the same way when it comes to life in general. No hills, please. Just smooth, easy paths. What purpose do hills serve anyway?

Well, it turns out, they do serve a purpose for runners. According to Runner’s World, running hills improves your running form, improves your muscular strength, and provides a cardiovascular boost. The bottom line is that running a path with hills requires endurance. 

The same can be said for the hills we encounter in our lives too. They require endurance. The Apostle Paul spoke of these things – 

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:1-5 (ESV)  

I recently heard suffering defined by Elisabeth Elliott in this way – “Suffering is having what we don’t want or not having what we do want.” When you think about it in those terms, suffering can mean a lot of different things to different people. Think of suffering like hills in our path. Some are smaller than others. Some are really steep, but short-lived. Others, are steep and seem to go on forever. The truth about these hills is that no matter the size or duration, they produce in us endurance. 

The progression in Romans 5:3 has always been interesting to me. Doesn’t it seem like hope should come first? I have hope so I can endure, right? That’s not what it says though. It says the byproduct of endurance is character, and the byproduct of character is hope. The hope is actually produced from the character that is developed when we learn to endure through hardship and suffering. Those crazy hills DO have a purpose. 

The word for ‘endurance’ in Greek is hypomone. It means steadfastness, patience, constancy. The Strong’s Concordance notes that in the New Testament, it refers to the characteristic of a person who is not swerved from their deliberate purpose and their loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and suffering. Endurance develops our character, which in turn brings us hope. Hope is a beautiful thing. It’s something we definitely want to have, but there isn’t a shortcut to getting it according to this passage in Romans. 

Do you have any hills in your path right now? Take great comfort in the truth that those hills are there for a reason. They are working something in you. Don’t give up. Endure. Persevere. Your character is developing. Hope is growing. In case you need a little more convincing, here are a couple of other truths from God’s Word –

“Count it all joy, my brothers,when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness(hypomone). And let steadfastness (hypomone) have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4 (ESV)  

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance(hypomone)the race that is set before us,looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)  

That race is bound to have some hills, but let’s run it with endurance. Let’s even try to embrace the hills, knowing that they are purposeful and producing something in us that can’t be produced any other way.

Runner’s World gives some advice for how to run uphill – lean into the hill, think about running tall, and look ahead rather than down. Pretty good advice, isn’t it? Let’s lean into the hills that God has made part of our race, let’s think about running tall up those hills, and let’s look to Jesus Who not only founded our faith, but also is perfecting it.

One of my favorite video clips is a scene from the movie Facing the Giants. If you’re facing a hill today, consider taking a moment to watch it. No matter how many times I’ve seen it, it always inspires me to keep pressing on. The link is below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sUKoKQlEC4

Dear Father, I pray for anyone reading this post who is struggling with hardship right now and feels like giving up. Please give them the strength that they need to endure. Help them to lean into the hill, think about running tall, and fix their eyes on You. Surround them with brothers and sisters who will cheer them on and encourage them as they let this hardship develop character in them. I pray that Your work in them will produce abundant hope that will never disappoint because Your love has been poured out in their hearts through the Holy Spirit that You have given to us. Thank you that these hills are purposeful, and that Your grace is sufficient to enable us to keep on running with endurance the race that is set before us. Amen.

-Dana

The Milepost. “Since 1949, the bible of North Country travel!”

When we started planning an RV trip in Alaska, I knew this was a must-have.  As we prepared to leave, I packed it somewhere easily accessible.  During the drive from Anchorage to Valdez, I thought of it and knew it would have useful information.  I pulled it out, and spent some time reading it.  I flipped back and forth through the pages that offered a mile-by-mile commentary on the highway we were traveling.  I looked ahead to see where we were going.  I wowed my poor husband with many facts, but I found some great places to stop that we might have passed by otherwise.  We knew where we could get gas and learned about some history along the way.  I would put it away for a bit, but not too much time passed before I was wanting to consult it again.  

As I thought about how useful this book was, I agreed with the comparison to the Bible, but I was glad they used a lower case b for their “bible,” because without a doubt, the capital B Bible outshines The Milepost.

Like The Milepost, the Bible is relevant and useful for those of us traveling through life.  Once introduced to it, it is clear that it is a must-have, something to keep easily accessible.  

The longest psalm, Psalm 119, is all about God’s Word and how valuable it is.  Verse 105 says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”  The ultimate guidebook!

I have been reading the Bible ever since I learned to read, and I can attest to its relevance.  Sometimes, like The Milepost, it has taken some studying and time to understand how it is laid out and to be better able to see how it applies to the travels of the day.  Definitely, like The Milepost, it has helped me see where I was going and helped me not to miss important moments.  It has alerted me to possible dangers, and like the psalmist I can say, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”  Psalm 119:11

Better than The Milepost, which gives info about where you can get fuel, the Bible itself is the fuel!  

“When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty.”  Jeremiah 15:16.

“Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’’” Matthew 4:4

The Milepost is updated yearly, so it does not give out-of-date information.  The Bible is timeless.

“Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” Psalms‬ ‭119:89‬ ‭

Like The Milepost, the Bible is best shared with others – our best journeys are in community.

While The Milepost only applies to those traveling in Alaska and the North Country, the Bible applies to all of mankind.  

One of the most amazing things about the Bible is that it is more than a book, it is the living Word of God.  

“For the word of God is alive and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  Hebrews 4:12

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  2 Timothy 3:16-17

I have a friend who has been struggling.  She is using God’s Word to fill her mind with truth when her thoughts would lead her down paths of anxiety and sorrow.  She has read the whole Bible already this year and now has started on a chronological Bible reading plan!  

Another friend told me about a girl she knew that was feeling unsure about her relationship with God.  My friend challenged her to read the Bible if she wanted to hear from God, and they started reading through the Psalms together, one Psalm each day.  Before they had made it to Psalm 23, the girl was sharing that she was connecting with God in a new way!  

Let me encourage you, wherever you may be traveling this summer, don’t forget your guidebook.  Keep it easily accessible and consult it often.  Don’t miss the things God wants to show you.  Don’t get caught in traps you could have avoided.  Don’t run out of energy or stop making progress to your destination.  Encourage the people traveling with you to read the guidebook for themselves, and share what you learn!  

“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.  Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”  Psalm 25:5-6

God, thanks for giving us a guidebook for life.  Help us to see its value and consult it daily.  Open our eyes to the truth and help You have placed there for us.  Give us courage to follow You and courage to share Your Word with those around us.  Thank you for vacation and all the reminders of Your love.  

-Leah

A couple of weeks ago, we got our little guy a kite. He was SO excited! Aaron put it together, and right away we were making attempt after attempt to get it to fly. In our eagerness to get the kite in the air, we had forgotten something pretty important. Kites need wind to fly. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough wind on that day. No matter how much we tried (and boy, did we ever try), the kite wouldn’t fly.

Our little friend was expecting one thing, but instead was faced with a disappointment. The disappointment then caused discontentment, which caused pouting, which caused grumbling. Everything was bad. In spite of all the other toys and games he had and all the other fun things he could do, he fixated on the one thing that wasn’t working out.

I have to admit, his grumbling made me a little frustrated. Why couldn’t he see past the flightless kite to all the other opportunities for fun that were all around him? Why, all of a sudden, wasn’t anything good enough? Why couldn’t he just leave the kite flying for another time and move on?

As I was feeling this frustration, I walked into my kitchen and stopped. I looked around at my beautiful kitchen and then had a realization. It had been a rough day at work. I had some challenging situations come up, an unexpected schedule change, and way more work to do than time to get it done. And as I walked into that kitchen, I realized that I had been doing the very same thing that my little friend had been doing.

I had chosen to focus on all the things that hadn’t gone right instead of focusing on all that I already have. When I walked into that kitchen, it was like a light came on. I was able to see my massive kitchen and remember that it is just one of the many incredible blessings God has given me.

All of a sudden, I was able to see that on the inside, I too had been grumbling and pouting and harboring discontentment. When my grown-up kite (in this case, my work-related activities) wouldn’t fly, I hadn’t handled it well either.

When our kites won’t fly, we have two choices. We can choose to be thankful for all that we do have, or we can choose to focus on the things we don’t have or the things that aren’t going the way we want them to.

It reminded me of something Aaron and I had read earlier that same week in Exodus 16. In the first twelve verse of that chapter, the words ‘grumbling’ or ‘grumbled’ are used eight times to refer to the response of the children of Israel to their plight in the wilderness.

If you read the two chapters before Exodus 16, you will see that God had just delivered the children of Israel from their slavery in Egypt with unprecedented signs and wonders, the last of which was the parting of the Red Sea. Then, shortly after that, when they got hungry in the wilderness, they grumbled. They never asked God to provide for them, and they had lost their gratitude for what He had already done.

What I realized that day in my kitchen was that grumbling shows up some ugly things in my heart, like ingratitude, lack of trust, and selfishness. When I’m grumbling, I’m not remembering how God has proven His faithfulness to me over and over again. I’m choosing to put all of my attention on the wrong things.

The Apostle Paul had something to say about this in his letter to the Philippians –

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” (Philippians 2:14-16, ESV)

Do all things without grumbling. Why? So that you may be blameless, innocent, children of God without blemish, and shining lights in the world.

In the Old Testament, we find the account of a prophet who had much greater problems than a kite that wouldn’t fly. Habakkuk saw the destruction that was coming to his people, and it grieved him. Faced with a choice between grumbling and gratitude, here’s what Habakkuk said –

“Though the fig tree should not blossom,
    nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
    and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
    and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the deer’s;
    he makes me tread on my high places.” (Habakkuk 3:17-19, ESV)

He made the right choice. “Yet I will rejoice…”

So, I find myself in this place again this week. On Monday, our little guy moved to another home because of a court decision that none of us were party to. My heart is still breaking, and my kite won’t fly. I have a choice to make. Do I focus on my quiet house, the wish of my heart to hold that little hand while he falls asleep just one more time, the questions and doubts that try to bombard my mind, and the pain of loss? Or do I focus on being grateful for the time we had, for all the good gifts God has given, and for the assurance that He is still in control and working out His plans?

Choosing gratitude over grumbling is a moment by moment decision, and I wish I could tell you I’m passing this test with flying colors. What I can say is that I’m learning more of what it means to depend on God, and I am making progress. When the kite won’t fly, I want my heart to respond more and more like Habakkuk and less and less like the children of Israel.

Father, You know our hearts and how often we default to grumbling when things don’t go the way we want them to go. Please forgive us when we focus on the things we don’t have or the things that aren’t going right instead of remembering Your faithfulness to us and all that You have done for us. Help us to trust You more even when we don’t understand all that You allow. Please be with anyone (including me) reading this who might have a kite that won’t fly right now. Give us the grace we need to choose to rejoice in You anyway because You are always good. Amen.

78.87 years. That is the average life expectancy of an American. It sounds like a lot of years, doesn’t it? That’s especially true if you’re 10, 15, or even 30. I have noticed that as I entered my 40’s, time seems to go by so quickly. Remember the opening line of the soap opera – “As sands through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives”? 

Time goes by so quickly. My oldest nephew, Benjamin, graduated yesterday. 18! If I close my eyes, I can see him still as an infant. Like it was yesterday. Where did 18 years go? 

In that picture, you see 79 pennies. Each penny represents one year of life. The average life expectancy of an American. The truth is, we don’t know how many years we will actually have. Some of us will have more than 79, and some of us will have less.

Here’s the picture again, but this time, I have taken out 45 pennies to represent the 45 years I have already used. It’s a little scary to look at it this way, isn’t it? If you have 79 pennies handy, I challenge you to do this. Put them out in front of you, and then remove a penny for each year that you’ve been alive. Look at what is left. Remember, what is left is not guaranteed. Some of us might be on our last penny right now. Sobering, isn’t it?

“Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (James 4:14, ESV)

“O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!” (Psalm 39:4, ESV)

“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12, ESV)

This is a challenge. To you. To me. To us. We have been given this one life. What are we doing with it? What are we living for? Each year is precious, each month is precious, each day is PRECIOUS. We don’t have time to waste. This video clip from Francis Chan captures it so well –

What are we living for? Are we spending our time focused on what we can get out of our lives here, or are we living with eternity in mind? 

Here’s the challenge. Let’s make every penny count, every year of our lives matter. It’s so easy to lose sight of just how short life really is. What we do with our time matters. There are things that God is calling us to do – let’s do them! 

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14, ESV) 

I want my life to count for eternity. I want to run the race well all the way to the finish line. Like Paul, I can’t say that I have already obtained this or that I am already perfect (far from it!). But I want to strain forward to what lies ahead. I want God to be able to use my life to the full, to be able to accomplish through me ALL the plans He has for me.

As I look at my ever-decreasing pile of pennies, I feel a greater sense of urgency. I don’t have time to waste on temporary things. I don’t have time to be bogged down by things that won’t last. My priorities must be those things that have lasting value, and my perspective must be fixed on what is eternal.

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, ESV)

Will you join the challenge with me? Will you forget what is already behind and ask God to help you make every one of the rest of your days count for eternity? I know that we will have relapses and that we won’t get this perfectly right all the time, but let’s start with today. What can we do with our day today that will be eternally significant? Then, tomorrow, we can ask ourselves the same question. Life is a precious gift that we have been given – let’s not waste it!

Father, You are our Creator, and You have given us the gift of life. You didn’t give us life so that we could spend it on ourselves, living for what is only temporary. You gifted us with life so that we could live for You and do the things You’ve called us to do. You made our lives for eternal significance. Please forgive us for wasting time and for not prioritizing the eternal. Help us to understand that our days are few, and help us to have a renewed passion for using each day for Your glory. Give us a renewed sense of urgency to be part of the work that You are doing in the world, and please give us the strength to press on to make it our own because Christ Jesus has made us His own. Amen.

-Dana