WORTH THE CLIMB

“We’re almost there.” I assured the Young Women walking next to me on the mountain path.

“No, we aren’t!” One of them declared between pants of exhaustion. “He just said we were only halfway.”

Oops 😬 Caught. “True, but he said that was the hardest part. So, it will be easier from here.”

The same young woman cut a disbelieving glance my way. “He lied. He’s a liar. I bet he doesn’t even know where he is going. He’s leading us off into the wilderness.”

“No, he isn’t.” I chuckled in between my own deep breaths. “We can trust him. He knows where he is going.”

“This is too hard.” That cry came from many a preteen girl that was stumbling up the rocky hill beside me.

“It is hard.” I validated them. “But, I promise, you will feel so accomplished when we get to the top.”

“No, I won’t.”

As I’ve come back to the memory of our hike at Girls Camp this year, it always brings a smile to my face. I remember having similar thoughts when I was their age, completely dreading the hike, and wondering why on earth they were making us complete it. What did it benefit anyone, walking around in the woods for an hour, only to turn around and come right back?

I get it, girls. I promise, I understand exactly where you are coming from. However, on the other side of the coin, I also understand why the hike is so vital to Girls Camp. Why we feel the need, as leaders, to push you outside of your comfort zone, and remind you that you can do hard things.

Because, unfortunately, this life is full of hard things and hard climbs, and we never want you to forget that you can do it. With Him by your side, you can tackle any obstacle that is thrown your way, and feel accomplished as you make it through, together.

How do I know this? I’ve stood where you stand, remember? I know how it feels to look up at a giant incline, covered with stones and sticks and riddled with switchbacks, and think, “I can’t do this.”

Most often, those trials in our life are not actual treks in the elements. They are moments of doubt. They are challenges that we don’t feel we have the capacity to overcome. They are character-stretching scenarios that will help to shape us into Daughters of God that are even more like Him.

Daunted and overwhelmed, we wait at the bottom, or maybe take a rest during the middle of the climb, and whisper, “I can’t do this. I don’t want to do this. Why do I have to do this?”

And, just like your beloved, somewhat annoying, leader on the hike, a voice will come to you, reassuring you that, “You can do this. He knows where He is going. You will feel so accomplished at the top.”

The questions are normal. We all have them. We all wonder, we all get tired, we all wish, desperately, that we could stop. That we don’t have to complete the task ahead. That we can just turn around and go back. When we are exhausted by the climb, feeling a little lost, and curious as to what the point of it all is? That is normal. That is understandable. That is human.

However, we have a choice in those moments. When everything appears to have completely fallen apart, when we can no longer see the destination we were hoping to reach, and when we don’t think we can take one more step? We have a choice. We have a choice to keep walking with Him.

That’s what we’ve spent this whole year focusing on, right? Walking with Him, and what that means and looks like.

For me, lately, walking with Him has meant doing really hard things. Things that scare me. Things that I don’t feel I have the strength or ability to make it through. I’ve questioned, I’ve wondered, I’ve cried, I’ve doubted if He really has a plan in all of this.

I get it. I really have been in your shoes. I’ve stumbled through, and am still stumbling through. similar “hikes” to you, and if there is one thing I want you to learn from my experiences, it is this:

It is worth it. The climb is worth it. He knows what He is doing. You will marvel in wonder at the view from the top.

I don’t just say that as someone who has reached the peak at the top of certain mountains. I say that as someone who is currently terrified at the bottom of her own trail of trial, in complete and utter disbelief that the Lord could truly believe she is capable of such a task. I say that as someone who is fearful, worried, weighed down, and consumed by self-doubt.

I don’t always believe that I can do this. But, I believe Him. I believe Him when He says I can do it, and that the trek will be worth it. Why? Because He has been right in the past. Every single time. He has a perfect record of leading me through my wildernesses, guiding me towards outcomes that were beyond anything I could have imagined for myself. The blessings at the top of each mountain were worth it then, why would that change now?

It doesn’t. You can trust in what He has in store for you. Keep holding tight to your faith. Choose to keep walking with Him, girls, even when it seems so, so difficult. I promise, the climb is worth it.

I also promise that He is always walking beside you. He will not abandon you. It was my privilege and honor to teeter alongside you on our hike. I wanted you to know that we were in this together, that I wouldn’t leave you, and that what was waiting for us at the top was more than worthwhile.

If a silly, imperfect leader could have that amount of love for you, imagine the love He has for you. How grateful He is for the opportunity to walk beside you in your hardships. How actively He is cheering you on. How sure His promises are.

It is worth it, girls. It is worth the climb. I promise, and He promises. Keep going. Know you are not alone. Know you are so much stronger than you believe. Know you are loved.Know with Him, you can do hard things.