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Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Someday I want to hike the Grand Canyon

... although, I think maybe I'm doing that already...

Derrick just finished a book by Donald Miller called "Through Painted Deserts." He loved it, and now I am reading it. It's about a road trip he took about 10 years ago with his friend Paul. It's really good, and it makes us want to buy an RV and go on a cross-country road trip. But one part that stood out to me was when he hiked the Grand Canyon.

They climbed down, camped overnight, and then climbed back up again. I guess it's a really hard climb. And he was talking about being at the bottom and how he wished there were an easier way out. they talked about helicopters or boats. but there wasn't anything. Some people had come in on rafts, and that's how they got out, but if you hiked in you had to hike out. Even if you died down there, there is really no way of getting you out unless somebody carried you. But it's a hard enough climb by yourself, it would be practically impossible to carry somebody (I imagine).
I was just thinking about our financial situation over the last three years, and how it's been really slow and hard. For a while there it felt like we were stuck at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and everytime we thought we'd started climbing up, somebody or something pushed us back down again. And sometimes it felt like we'd never get out, and it was really scary and depressing. Now it seems like we're starting to make some real progress, but we keep trying to find ways to make it quicker or easier, but nobody can really help us. People have helped a little bit, and we've had some times of relief, but for the most part, there's no helicopter or boat coming to carry us away. And even now that we're getting somewhere, there's the fear that we could slip and fall back to the bottom again. Or somebody will push us down and throw dirt on us. We just have to persevere and keep making the slow, hard climb.
And that's ok. I bet Don and Paul appreciated the accomplishment of what they did much more than if they'd been "rescued" by a helicopter. It was hard and scary, but they did it. Even if they didn't think they could.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Eubanks.... your pictures are adorable!!! I love reading your blog and catching up. And those girls.... so big.... I can't belive how they've grown. Sure miss you guys. When you coming to visit? Have a great month of May and enjoy God's creation! Love Auntie Rita & Counsin Kenny.

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