HOW LONG WILL THIS LAST?

My sister Janet had cautioned us that the path around Jordan Pond would be challenging, but Jim and I set out with confidence. We had our hiking sticks and walking shoes. We had our strength and stamina from regularly hiking farther than the distance around this pond. We knew to follow Janet’s helpful suggestion: start early and go counterclockwise to accomplish the harder portion first. We were well-prepared and positive!

Janet had also warned us that we would encounter boulders along our way–but I had not anticipated such large boulders, nor how long the boulder-strewn path would continue. Several times I struggled for balance, my walking stick slipped into a few crevices, and Jim would gasp behind me and warn, “Be careful, Honey!” As we continued to climb and clamber, my hip ached and my spirit sagged.

My constant inner question was, “How long will this last?”

Later, as I reflected on our experience, I began to sense that much of our difficulty came from this uncertainty. We didn’t know how long we would endure these boulders; the trees and curves on our path kept us from seeing very far ahead. I felt that if only we could have seen where the path would become level and smooth again, we could have held our goal in sight, and I would have been more inspired and encouraged for this leg of our journey.

But maybe not.

I may have found that the boulders continued for a much longer distance. I may have discovered additional obstacles after the boulders. I may have become more discouraged and prompted to turn back. We then would have missed the beauty that was still before us.

And so it is when we are enduring any of life’s difficult trials. The question, “How long will this last?” can fill our every thought. Often, we cannot know; the time frames of life are not always precise nor predictable. How many more treatments will I need? How long will this pain linger? When will I find a job? Will there ever be relief? How long must I wait for answers? We can feel almost desperate to know–and yet afraid to know.

How do we continue on in our times of uncertainty, pain, heartache, or struggle? How do we endure?

As Jim and I learned on our hike, we take the very next step. We pause to rest and breathe. We watch for the beauty. We go with encouraging companions. We help one another along the way. We feel God holding, guiding, and providing us with strength and sustenance in each moment. We carry with us the hope of a better, brighter day…

and we trust that it will come.

With God as our resting place, we can run with perseverance the race that is set before us.
There will always be a race.
And there will always be a resting place.¹

(Photos by Karen and Jim; Jordan Pond, Bar Harbor, ME)
¹Rubietta, Jane. Resting Place: A Personal Guide to Spiritual Retreats. Intervarsity Press, 2005.