Encouragement brings new life

As pressure mounted and stress increased about a week ago I decided to take the day off work and go for a fun little biking adventure with KLerch.
A beautiful spring day, we hit a new trail with a map and plenty of energy and optimism. Little did we know (although we probably should have learned by now) how easy it is to get lost.
After taking a wrong turn, rather than go back we decided upon a "proposed" trail. This means no trail at all, but you can make your own.
However, it's very difficult, unless you have a chain saw, to make a trail through dry brush. At first we just thought we could walk our bikes up the hill. The trail where we were headed was visible--just up ahead! Or was it? "Well, if we can just get up to that ridge, we'll be able to see."
Soon, pushing bikes through brush became impossible, so we carried them--often above our heads.

I don't know about Katie, but I started to get exhausted and I wanted to just sit down and quit.
She however, climbed up a tree to be better able to see. That's what friends are for (at least partially), to give us perspective and encouragement, to help point us in the right direction.

We continued bush-wacking. (I rediscovered a fondness for mixing up my consonants: book washing). Intermingled with laughter at our unfortunate plight, her enthusiasm and vigor that we would eventually make it to the trail gave me hope.
And sure enough, though the journey getting there was difficult, we made it!
When our actual bike ride began, I was already pretty pooped out, but managed to get a second wind.
Seeing new spring flowers popping out of dry ground was like a loving greeting-card encouragement from God. They reminded me that beauty and hope can spring up in the midst of the parched landscape. When life seems difficult and I just want to go into hibernation, God gives me glimpses of spring time. And I want to keep going--to see what's up over the next ridge. The journey is an adventure, and the miserable parts help make it memorable!