Even If You Have to Walk Uphill
Have you ever had one of those moments when you are just doing your thing, your normal day to day activity, your average ho hum thing and God just kind of pokes your heart and gives you a gentle reminder that turns the ordinary into extraordinary, the thing that takes your average activity and makes it above average? I had one of those moments this week, and God in His gentle way reminded me of just how faithful He had been, is, and will continue to be. I was doing my normal morning daily routine of working out on the elliptical, and I was watching my time and my miles. In my mind, I play this game - only ten more minutes, only .5 more mile, etc. I was thinking ”I’m over halfway done, it’s all downhill from here, just two more Steven Curtis Chapman songs and I can stop (I’ve got his songs timed perfectly) and then I had this thought, or better said would be that God interrupted my thoughts with His - ”Who told you that? Who told you the second half is downhill? Who told you the last part of your workout would be easier? It may be uphill, it may be harder, but you still have to finish.” And then I started thinking, how many times do we get into our Christian journey and we think, “now that I’m following Jesus, life should be easy, there shouldn’t be a struggle, it should be like coasting downhill?” But that simply is not true. Who told you that?
I started thinking about what happens when I take a walk outside my house. If I walk in one direction, when I make the turn to go home, it's downhill. But, if I leave my house going in the opposite direction, the last half of the walk to get home is uphill. What helps me not get discouraged on my walk is picturing my house and keeping that goal in front of my eyes. Hmmmm. Did you catch that? If we start out our life walking in the wrong direction (and we all do since we are all born sinners) the last half, the half after we turn around and start walking in the right direction - may just be uphill!!! And then God gently reminded me, even if you have to walk uphill, I’m with you. We will do this journey together.
This is what the faithfulness of God looks and feels like. It doesn’t feel like coasting. It doesn’t feel like everything is easy peasy. It doesn’t feel like there aren’t any trials, any sickness, any hardships, etc. It feels like God’s presence. It’s the reminder that we are not alone, that we have purpose in our steps, and that even if we have to climb uphill, we will have the strength to do it, because we have the promise of God’s faithfulness to go through it with us.
So today, regardless of how you feel about your walk, if you feel like you are coasting home, or struggling to climb uphill, keep moving! keep putting one foot in front of the other, keep your eyes on your finish line - on Jesus - and finish strong. Stay faithful to your course, because God will be faithful to you. That’s His promise. Like David wrote in Psalm 103:17 – 19 (NIV) “from everlasting to everlasting, the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children – with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.”
Robin Smith has a passion for equipping people to see their strengths and to lead with their unique God given gifts. She has spent the last 15 years in higher education, focusing on developing student leaders and equipping students with the skills they need to be successful in the pursuit of their education and careers.
Robin has recently transitioned out of higher education to pursue her heart’s passion to help equip women coming out of trafficking as the Program Director at Refuge for Women Las Vegas. Robin serves on the Ignite Life board, volunteers with Refresher for Women and Refresher Girls and teaches the evening class of Speaker's Workshop. She loves to teach the word of God and empower people to live victoriously on their journey with Jesus.
Robin and her husband Homer have been married for 31 years. They enjoy God’s creation by hiking, walking, or simply enjoying the sun with a good book. They have two children, Jenna and Ryne, three grandchildren, Alex, Dylan and Vincent and 1 cat - Cedar.