Monday, June 11, 2018

Beyond the struggle

HIKING
So as you all know at this point, I LOVE hiking, and in this recent year, I've gotten my sister to start enjoying it as well. However, with the weather changing into summer, we've had to find a new time to go hiking, because as you know, summers here in Arizona do NOT play around, with the temperature changing, we hadn't gone hiking for about a month or so.
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My sister and I decided that  we'd start waking up at 5 am and go for a morning hike, the weather is PERFECT at this time, although by the end of June, I'm sure we'll have to change our time til 4 am...EEEEEEKS!!!  
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Well we figured with it being our first day back on last Monday, the struggle up would be the hardest first day. However tho, it was not! I mean, we pretty much just FLEW up the mountain, weeeeeeellll...NOT LITERALLY but you know, it was pretty easy going up, we were like WOW, that's cool!
AND THEN SURPRISE
We figured it'd be EVEN EASIER the next day, buuuuuut surprise of all surprises, IT WASN'T, it was harder!!! Annnnnd the next day even more, it was like that the rest of the week. I realized it was because the first day our muscles weren't sore because we hadn't been hiking, but NOW they were, causing the hike to be more of a struggle than the first time. It seems so strange that it we would feel MORE RESISTANCE in our hiking than we did in the beginning, but that's just the way it is, you can't sit down and just give up, you've got to KEEP PUSHING through it every day, until you've broken through.
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Spiritual Hiking
Did you know that it's the SAME way in our walk with the Lord? Sometimes, it's later on in your walk with God that you REALLY start feeling the struggle!!! It may have been the easiest thing to  make that decision to live for God, or to walk away from sin, or turn yourself in a different direction. It makes sense and you knew it was right, so you do it. It's NOT until the next day that you start feeling it, the resistance to your decision, it's pulling at you. AWW MAN, today it's harder, I'm out of breath, I didn't realize it would be like this. And you just want give up,
to SIT DOWN...
Keep Pushing forward
Buuuuuuuuuuuuut you got to keep going, you've gotta PUSH THROUGH THE STRUGGLE, it won't always be THIS HARD if you'll just keep pressing on!!! Beyond the struggle, there is VICTORY!!! Don't give up my brother's and sister's, catch your breath, TAKE A DRINK and keep on moving!!!
VICTORY IS YOURS,
IF YOU'LL KEEP ON KEEPING ON!!! 
" I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)
♥Mary Frances :)