Had I read more links, I would have gotten a truer picture of what we faced: A two-hour steep climb over boulders next to a stream from which we could not drink. Trail rises 1,020 feet over 1.2 miles, an average increase of a foot in elevation for every yard and a half traversed.
We reached the trailhead on a flat, paved bike path. Shortly after the trailhead sign, the trail takes hikers through a maze of boulders.
At times, the trail was not visible from any distance and had to be discerned step by step. This part was in the sun, but shortly thereafter, the trail was shaded, a mercy. Benches were placed about every quarter mile and some trail-side boulders were big enough to sit on. Otherwise, trail was nonstop climbing. The last bit of the trail is nearly vertical, made passable only by people who had erected rails and cut steps into the rock, even adding a few concrete steps.
People who were coming back down the trail encouraged us by saying that the view at the end was indeed worth the trip.
When I saw that last vertical stretch, I wanted to break down and cry. My legs had become rubber, my breath came in gasps and now this! I only arrived the lake by pulling myself up on the rails hand over hand.
Was the view worth the travail of getting to the top? Oh, yes.
As we struggled up the trail, huffing and puffing, I thought how this trail was a lot like the Christian life.
When we accept Christ, we are not guaranteed a flat, paved path with no obstacles. We are only guaranteed trials down here and are even exhorted to enter the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. Any trail portion that is flat and paved is bound to end soon, leaving us faced with a pile of boulders.We are often not shown the trail ahead and are forced to pick our way from rock to rock, zigzagging upwards. If we could see the trail ahead, we might turn around and go back. I heard of other hikers who saw that last stretch and quit, missing the glorious waterfall at the top.
Those who were not prepared would have a hard time making the hike. Those without adequate water and proper shoes were well-advised not to try the ascent. No one should walk the trail alone.The Christian life is the same way. We can not live it in our own strength. We must carry the Living Water with us, be shod with the gospel of peace and we are not to walk alone.
The One who has gone before us has prepared the trail. He planted trees for shade and put benches and rocks for us to rest on when the going is too hard for us. He put up the rails and cut the steps so we could make the journey, even though we have to struggle.
The running water that fell beside the trail was a temptation to drink. But who knows what kind of parasite or bacteria resides in those waters?As Christians, we, too, must avoid attractive temptations, looking beyond the surface attractions to see what poisons might lurk underneath.
After a long rest at Hanging Lake, we started back down the trail. We could breathe much better going down. But we had to watch our step. Falling was an ever-present possibility.
So, too, with the Christian life. Reaching the mountain top is exhilarating, but temporary.
Going down is easier, but traps appear. When life is easy, we become self-confident and our focus tends to stray from the Lord. Suddenly, the rocks get slippery and we fall, wondering how this happened.
When we ask him, the Lord comes and, in his mercy, pulls us out of our hole and sets us back onto the trail.
The trails of our lives go up and down repeatedly, from mountaintop to valley and every height in between. At some point, all trails must end. Usually, the last bit of the trail is akin to that final vertical wall at Hanging Lake: difficult and painful.
When we reach our final mountaintop, we will stay there forever. When the Gates of Heaven open for each one of us who know him, the Lord will be there in person. We will stay with him forever. And, yes, the view from Heaven will be entirely worth the journey.
NOTE: Article first appeared in the newsletter for First Baptist Church of Goodland.