365 Project Day 150: 1,062 Steps

Canon 5D Mark ll, 70-200 2.8L, 200 focal length, 13.0 aperture, 1/40 shutter, ISO 250

It was a wonderful but difficult day.Wonderful, because our family was together, which is becoming more and more of a rarity with them all being over the age of 18 now. The difficulty came in the nature of our activity. We went to a park that required us to go down 1,062 steps to get to the river. This was strenuous enough, as the signs warned, but we also had to climb those same 1,062 steps back up to get to our car. Needless to say, I was concerned.

Upon our descent down the stairs, a drenched hiker coming up from the bottom came around the corner, the whites of his eyes flashing like warning flags. ” Good luck” he whispered hoarsely. While I took in his words, (and his appearance) with gravity, my kids laughed him off as someone who shouldn’t be on this trail. “Neither should I”, my mind raced. Seeing my hesitation, they encouraged me. ” You got this”, they told me one by one. It was decided. I would go. I would do this.

Halfway down, my legs started to shake, no quake. I worried they might resign their very important positions at any moment. In the distance I saw three figures blurring down the steps. Annie, Johnny and Chris ( yes, Chris) were way out ahead. Katie stayed with me, her compassionate nature kicking in. We finally made it down, my legs now in full spasm and I was grateful to rest for a bit. Scenes like the one below were worth it.

Then came the trek back up. We had to be out of the park by sunset. Fortunately, I had a team of encouragers cheering me on.

I will have to admit, there were many times during this seemingly eternal ascent that I felt like I was just not going to make it. I am not in the worst shape of my life, but pretty close. Not to mention it was 98 degrees today. But this time, Annie stayed with me, peppering the atmosphere with kind and encouraging words.” Don’t be so hard on yourself”, she offered. ” This is hard for everyone.” I appreciated that. Chris also waited for me at every turn to sit with me. ” This is the stuff of life” he said as he gently kissed the end of my sweaty nose. I rested in those peaceful blue eyes and lingered there until I got my breath and my willingness to continue.

You know that phrase, “take it one step at a time”? I get it now. That is how I did this today. One step at a time, with the love and help of those I cherish. I just took the next step in front of me until I reached the top. That was a great feeling.

I can easily apply this to my 365 Project, or anything else that just seems too difficult to press through. If I can just take the next step in front of me, just that one, than I am winning. Everyday, winning. One step at a time, most often with the gracious support of others and their kind words when I just want to quit.

So back to the first picture of the blog. That is the prize, the blazing glory that comes from perseverance in the face of hardship. The grace that God pours out over us as we continue to take the next step, and run the race. The gift at the end of a long and wonderful journey.

Hebrews 12:1 ~ “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”.

You got this. Come on, let’s go.