Several years ago my wife and I went on a three day trek in the Himalayan mountains. We hadn’t planned on trekking but mountain conditions forced us to walk out from the town we were visiting. The trek was difficult and dangerous. We had to cross through rivers and climb over landslides that had wiped out the trail in places. Each day, one of us was suffering some kind of ailment. Our friend was suffering from knee problems the first day. Heat exhaustion overtook me the second day, cutting short that day’s trek. On the third day, my wife slipped on one of the landslides and injured her ankle. We later found out her ankle was fractured, but on that day she walked three hours after sustaining the injury. We finally made it to a place where we could secure vehicle transportation into the city, where we caught a flight home. I actually felt sorry for the other passengers on the plane, because we did not smell very good at that point.
When we got home, we were able to get the proper medical attention and rest. Our memories of the trek are positive because we endured the struggle and pain to reach our goal and were stronger physically, mentally and spiritually because we persevered.
Psalm 30:4-5 explains, “Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. His anger lasts for a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes with the morning.” Our problems test our faith, while building godly character into our lives. If we believe in God’s faithfulness through our struggles, we will be stronger and more godly when we reach the other side. Knowing that our problems are momentary, but God’s favor lasts forever, can help us persevere.
Reluctant Retiree 