To celebrate our 49th Anniversary, my wife Judy and I were recently in the magnificent Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. The drive was breathtaking along the spine of the Parkway. At times the road was the width of the spine, and we were able to see 30 plus miles out of each side of the car at the same time, not to mention looking several hundred feet straight down.
This is truly God's magnificent creation over billions of years. Geologists report that these are the oldest mountains in the world. Inside the car it was "awes" of amazement mixed with anxious noises as we rounded a sharp curve with no guard rails.
We were encouraged to hike up to the early American working farm from the lodge, a mere seven tenths of a mile. There was no way to drive, you could only hike. It became seven tenths of a mile up hill. Through a pasture, through a woods, through a hatch of bugs, around two more turns and still up hill. We decided to turn back. After all we have seen farms before.
On our way back we met some delightful folks who were determined to see the farm. The lady in the group mentioned... "My 96 year old grandmother wants to see the farm, and she will make it." With the aid of a walking stick, she took each step with positive strength. On the way back we felt a bit ashamed, a bit wimpish, and a bit ridiculous.
The Apostle Paul said in his letter to the Philippians, "Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on... let those of us who are mature be of the same mind."
Paul called it. We press on, that is the mature thing to do. Sometimes we wimp out. And we were told by the folks at the lodge that we made a big mistake.
You see, like that 96 year old grandmother, if we are focused and determined, God gives us the strength and it is amazing what we can do. We can always do 10% more than we think we can. God has built energy, strength and reserves within us that we rarely tap. |