The Rocky Mountains

A few weeks ago, my husband and I traveled to Denver. During our time there, we ventured out to the Rocky Mountain National Park for what we thought was a short hike with our friends, Jennifer and Justin. Due to the recent floods that destroyed much of the area, we found ourselves accidentally on an expert level trail up a mountain. Too prideful to back out, we decided to give the hike up a shot, thinking the entire trip would only be 3 miles round trip (haha). We told ourselves that if we were too tired, we'd turn back before reaching the summit, though I think we all had the same mindset that we couldn't just turn back! 

The trail started out fairly easy. The air was crisp and the sounds and smells of nature were indescribable. Life felt truly easy. But as we hit 1/3 of the way up, the altitude began to hit me BADLY and it only intensified as we progressed. As we reached halfway up the mountain, my head began to buzz and my hands began to sting with pain, but I reminded myself that there was no way I was going to turn back after having made it this far. I was determined to make it to the top, even if it killed me (I swear it almost did!) In taking breaks every quarter of a mile (or probably more so every tenth of a mile), I was able to take in all of the astounding views that surrounded us. It was as though every step we took provided a new wonder to marvel at! I was breathless, not just from the altitude but from the sights that surrounded me, and we weren't even to the top yet. 

As we inched further and further, the task of simply breathing proved to become more difficult the higher we got. Not knowing how I could make it any farther, I began to pray my way up- "Lord, please give me the strength to make it to the top. I know I can do this with your help!" In my struggle to carry on, I was reminded of two scriptures- "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and, "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak". I repeated these scriptures and prayed to myself over and over again, all the while taking the time to look around to enjoy the perfection that surrounded us, thanking God for revealing just a few of his mighty creations to little old me. 

At last, we finally hit what we thought was the top of the mountain. The terrain was smooth and flat and we were all rejoicing for the even territory. We laughed and cracked jokes up until we reached the only sign we had seen since we began our trek, which read, ".2 miles to summit" and was followed by a set of stairs that seemed to have no end. WHAT?!? Seriously?! Hadn't we just reached the end? This can't be serious? Stairs after all this?

As frustrated as we all were, we were more determined than ever to master those stairs! I'll be damned if that .2 miles wasn't the most difficult task for me to accomplish thus far. It wasn't the physical aspect of climbing them that killed me, but trying to overcome my failing breath, decreased lung capacity and the mental instability I felt. It was nearly debilitating. Alas, we reached the peak! 

At over 10,000 feet in elevation, my heart rejoiced and tears filled my eyes. "I can't believe we made it!", we all said to each other. I can still feel my breath escaping me, not from the altitude but from the realization of the beauty that which engulfed all four of us. The view from the top was by far the most miraculous thing I had ever seen in my entire life. It literally felt as though we were the only four people left on the entire earth. There was not a sound to be heard other than that of our voices. Reliving the memory brings tears of elation to my eyes and words and pictures can't even begin to describe the essence of it all.

Sadly, the trip to the top came to an end and it was time to tackle yet another obstacle- making it safely to the bottom before dark, before the black bears began to make their appearance for the night. Ugh, seriously? Can't someone just pick us up and fly us down? Of course not, that'd be too easy!

One might think that the hard part was over when we reached the top and going down would be child's play, but that one is wrong! Not to mention, the guys (my husband being one of them) thought it would save us a great deal of time to scale down the mountain, instead of following the switch backs the whole way down. Well, needless to say, they were right but that's not to say that accomplishing that last task was not the most terrifying physical obstacle in my life. Despite my convictions, it had to be done simply for the sake of not being left behind to be eaten by a bear. 

As we scaled down the mountain, the views still proved to be astonishing! I was amazed as I looked around and thought, I am literally sitting on the side of a mountain, surrounded by God's artwork. It was remarkable.

6 miles and 3 1/2 hours later, we finally made it to the bottom. We all exhaled a sigh of relief as we painfully yet joyfully stumbled back to the car. Behind us was a mountain, that we just climbed to the top of! What a day! Emotions filled my heart and I was overwhelmed at what we had all just experienced- physically and mentally.

Through my Rocky Mountain adventure, I feel as though God revealed so much to me on a deeper level than I could have ever imagined. I've heard it all before but to experience it first hand was more than I bargained for when we decided to climb a mountain that day. God never promises us that the journey to the top is going to be easy. Sometimes in life, when we think our struggles are over, we're faced with challenges greater than the ones we've already come through. But it is by God's mighty strength that we can and will prevail through each and every obstacle we face. But God doesn't want our lives to be all about simply making it through our daily struggles. He wants us to take the time to bask in His glory, to take the time to look at all the wonders He has made just for our enjoyment, and to be thankful for ALL that He has provided even when we're facing struggles that physically take our breath away and seem too big to overcome. 

If you think the Rocky Mountains are the most beautiful sight to have ever been seen, or any other wonder of the world that God's created, think again. You are God's true masterpiece. You are the one He takes the most pride in. And that alone is the most humbling, overwhelming thing I took away from this experience. How amazing! 

Thank you Jesus.

Radical Discipleship

This past weekend, I visited Journey Fellowship in Llano, Texas, where I heard a sermon about Radical Discipleship that I thought would be perfect to share in part on The Worthy Girl's Guide.

What do you think of when you hear the term radical disciple? When I heard the term for the first time this past weekend, I though of someone who takes following and serving God to a completely unmeasurable and unattainable level, something that I could never do. Throughout many times in my life, I have struggled with not feeling good enough in one area or another. When it came to serving the Lord, though I knew God loved me, I never felt that I was good enough or qualified to do something completely insane for Him. After all, I'm just a normal girl who loves Jesus but also struggles daily to stay on the straight and narrow.

Time and time again, I would hear sermon after sermon on how important it is to step up to the plate and give back to the Lord and His church by serving. When I would hear these sermons, my mind would wander to the extreme ends of the spectrum on how I could do something amazing for God. I would ponder becoming a missionary overseas, starting my own charity for abandoned animals, joining the praise and worship team at church; you name the stereotypical extreme way and I considered it. But as ideas would pour into my mind on how I could serve the Lord more radically, the passion and qualifications to make it happen were lacking.

I came to realize that I was looking at things from a selfish, worldly perspective. Though I was looking for how I could ultimately serve God, I was looking at how I could serve so that I could be more confident in the way that God sees me. I wanted God to see me as an extremist for Him; to see that I'm good enough to do whatever it is that He wants me to do for Him. I wanted His approval to be a radical disciple for Him in the most extreme of ways. I wanted Him to see that I was qualified and to give me the spiritual desire to live out these services so that I could prove it to Him.

In Mark, chapter 5, we meet a man who Jesus cast a demon out of. The man, completely changed by Christ, begged Jesus to let him come with Him and His disciples. "But Jesus said, 'No, go home to your family and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.' So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them". (Mark 5:18-20 NLT).

Was the man any less radical of a disciple for Jesus simply because he was not called to physically follow Christ in the ways that Matthew or Paul had been? Absolutely not! He simply was called to be a radical disciple on another level that Jesus saw fit for him individually. Though the man's call to serve had been different, it was not any less important than that of the Apostles' services for The Lord. The man wasn't invited to join the Apostles but he was called and qualified by Christ to serve, and he did it with just as much passion and ferocity.

In order to be a radical disciple for Christ, we have to stop looking at the self satisfying, extreme ways in which we can serve, and rather look at how God wants us to serve Him. It may seem as simple as praying for your friend, giving your personal testimony for Christ, or just by showing lovingkindness to a stranger, but these acts are not simple to God- they are awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping, radical acts of service to Him. You have already gone to an unattainable, unmeasurable level by choosing to follow Christ. Now it's time to allow God to show you what extreme, radical service He has called and qualified you uniquely for.

It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. 2 Corinthians 3:5 NLT

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10 NIV

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up heir cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life, will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it". Matthew 16:-24-25 NIV