Last week my husband and I spent some days in the mountains and as he loves to hike we went for a hike. I told him I was tired and didn't want to go for a long hike. So, after a light lunch in Valberg, a ski town, we went up to the mountains. These are not the really high mountains of the Alps... I was tired and the man at the gîte were we stayed saw that I had walking difficulties, so he suggested we go on a hike that was "flat", easy for my walking and not too tiring. When we got there we took a little "flat" path along the hill. It was so peaceful and beautiful. We walked for about 20-25 minutes and then we arrived at a lake were we sat down for a while. The weather was cool but sunny, so it felt just great. I told Raphael that if he wanted to go on and reach the top he could go and I would just stay there by the lake and have a nap. I hadn't slept well the night before, and we had been traveling quite a bit. So, he agreed to go on to the top without me and I stayed and had a lovely little nap next to the lake, in the sun, in the breeze... just in nature with no one around.
When Raphael got back I felt much better and we decided to go back to the car. I thought we would just take the same path back but he asked if I wanted to go another way. He took out the map and showed me how we could go back to the car another way. Not following a path, but just going down the mountain and then following the river. I didn't like that there was no path, and I kept asking him if he was sure about it, and at the same time I wanted to trust him and just let myself be led by him. I reminded him that I was a bit tired, but he assured me that it would be ok, that if I got tired we could just go up to one of the houses around and I could wait there while he went for the car. So off we went, down the mountain towards the river. It was very difficult to walk in some parts; I almost fell a few times, but I had a walking stick and Raphael was there to give me a hand when needed. At times I wasn't sure if he really knew where he was going, but I wanted to trust and follow him.
I thought about you and made sure to take pictures to show you. It won't look like much of a difficult hike to most people, but I'm sure you and I can appreciate that it does take a lot to go on such a walk. When we finished our hike and I looked back at all I had walked I thought that if Raphael had shown me beforehand how much we would walk I wouldn't have done it. I would have said "No way, I can't do it, I'm too tired for this!" And in the same way, just as for you I imagine, if God had shown me beforehand what I was to go through with TM, I would have said "No way! Not me, I can't... chose another or go alone!" It's a good thing He didn't show us right? I know it's not always a fun hike, sometimes you can fall, sometimes you are too tired to move, sometimes you think you are alone. Funny how sometimes life can be like a nice little flat path, and then after a little nap all of a sudden it's difficult to go on, it's not at all the same anymore... But isn't it great that He has brought us to a place where we depend on Him to go on... His helping hand, His guidance, His love, His company, His strength. I'm telling you to encourage you in your walk and show that even if we don't know where we are going but only have Him to guide us, He can lead us to really great places. When Raphael got home and shared with me that faith begins where we know we have reached our limits. It's when we know that we can't do it ourselves, like Sara laughing upon hearing that she would be a mother at her age! Anyway, just wanted to share this little "BIG" walk with you.
"Nice little flat path"
Lake where I took a nap :)
There I am!
Time to go back to the car!
Going down hill
Looking back at where we came from... up where the pine trees are.
Following Raphael
Moi! when we got down...
Then we saw some nice horses.
Coming to check Raphael out.
After following the river we started going up again
Nice grass :)
Looking back at where the horses were... they are somewhere behind the little lake
Up some more
And back on the nice flat path!
Fresh water to clean our faces and hands and drink some.
You can't see it but i had a big smile... :DNow thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
- II Corinthians 2:14
3 comments:
Jimena,
Your words...your words...
It's hard for me to express my feelings and thoughts when I see you so much stronger than I. Guys are supposed to be tough. Guys are supposed to be the spiritual leaders. But, this time of year (three years this past September 21), it is so easy to look to the tomorrows and say, "How can I do another day, another week, another 20 or 30 years if I live that long?"
And then I read your words and find them so encouraging.
[I just deleted a long soliloquy which was not helpful. And therefore, will continue anew.]
When I looked at the pictures after reading "Dear Doug..." you're right. The path looks different than when we view it a step at a time. Because of grace, God doesn't show us tomorrow; only one moment at a time. He asks us to trust Him and to give our burden for Him to carry.
This morning at church, a couple of our elders wanted to know how I was doing. I told them that I had probably reached the level of my recovery 18-24 months ago. They said, "You look like you're doing so well."
Yes, as you know, no one knows how we're doing except those who have experienced the same trial. And it's those people that God uses for encouragement. Today was your day for me.
Besides my family, there are two people with whom I want to spend time when we're together in heaven. One is Roque - the dear friend that I met in Bolivia and to whom was entrusted the bookstores that God allowed me to start. I haven't seen or spoken with him in twenty years.
You are the other. I don't figure that we'll ever meet where you can have your cup of tea and I my white chocolate mocha and we'll hear each other's voice for the first time. (I always wonder what your accent is like!) Where we can just sit and know without needing to speak much.
But in heaven...you're one person that I don't want living next door to me. I want to walk to see you and not become weary. I want to run with you and laugh - not because we run funny as we would now, but laugh because we'll be running as we were made to do.
I want to praise God with you for our new bodies and for His grace in allowing us to have TM and to understand that this was a blessing in our lives as hard it is some days to believe.
So, thank you for sharing your walk in the mountains with me. Please give my greetings to Rafael. He is fortunate to have you as his wife and to not be leary of this Chattanoogan.
Wow!! Those are gorgeous pictures. I love the one of your shadows in the grass. How sweet!!
Hi Doug,
Can you really run? even if it is in a funny way? That's great! I can't run or jump... after seeing the osteopath I told her I couldn't jump and she said "Of course not!" haha - Isn't it fun to think about heaven? I always think... "Hey, I'll be the one you see running everywhere!" but God is good, and yes I want to encourage you, because compared to me you are a baby in the world of TM. I have way more years of experience, so I can say to you after 12 years of experience... God IS faithful, God IS good, and God WILL be your strength! Funny eh, how I can see you as a little bother ;) God bless you! that white chocolate mocha sure sounds great, forget the tea. If Raphael and I can ever go on the other side of the puddle, we already know what would be the perfect gift for you guys :)
Sis. Julie... thank you! It looks nice but it wasn't really easy to take actually... I had to pull my neck to the back in a bit of an awkward way... I just killed the romance... sorry :(
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