Keep Walking

Currently our church’s women’s group is doing a Bible study with “It’s Not Supposed to be This Way” by Lysa TerKeurst. This book discusses processing the trials, disappointments, and struggles we all face in our lives. ,

This past week as we were discussing our perspective on the problems that we endure in our own journey, I reflected on a few of the things in my life that were earth shattering at the time, but now seem like only a blip on the radar.

When we first heard the diagnosis of Maddy’s cancer we were stunned. We went through the usual steps of fear, anxiety, uncertainty, and grief. We then did the procedures and treatments and waited for the test results. We were lucky that he caught it early and only had to do half the normal treatments. During those days, I drove him an hour to the clinic (He had to take something for nauseousness that made him sleepy.) five days a week for 12 weeks. I wondered how I would raise my girls if something happened to him since they were only 2 and 4. I worried how we would pay for everything. I prayed he wouldn’t be sick and miserable.

After getting the 10 year cancer-free CT scan, we both breathed a sigh of relief. Our insurance at the time covered almost 100% of all the bills. We had a cancer policy that paid for many things. Aside from some nausea after the radiation, he felt fine. Once we were on the other side of that path we could see where God had removed some of the boulders and branches that were making our way more difficult. We realized that the journey we had taken was not as bad as we had thought it would be. But when you are travelling that road it is sometimes hard to see beyond the road blocks that obscure our view of what lies ahead. We can’t see how far it is to the end. We want to know what other obstacles we may encounter.

Of course God doesn’t show us the entire route. God is not Google. You can’t put in your destination and see exactly how to get from now to your future. Life sometimes seems like a ride on a bumpy backroad that isn’t listed on any map.

In her book, TerKeurst describes going through your trial like walking across a swinging suspension bridge. The only way we can get to the other side is to go across, but we are scared of the first step. Sometimes, when we are going through a difficult season in our lives, we are afraid to take that first step toward the healing process. The scariest part of walking across that bridge is the middle. You are just as far from the beginning as you are the end. You are in the section where the swaying is the worst and you are over the deepest area. You try to tread lightly to decrease any chance of movement. The goal now is to get to the other side with the most careful steps, trying to not create any more shifts. When you finally reach the other side you cheer, jump for joy, or kiss the solid ground on which you are now standing. Taking a few more steps away from the edge, you look back and realize it wasn’t as difficult as you imagined it would be.

Many times our disappointments and trials are like this. They are scary in the moment. We fret and worry. We stress and scream. When we finally reach the other side of our journey through that struggle, we look back and realize it wasn’t as bad as we thought. We also get a little more confidence from this battle so that the next bridge we come to will be easier to cross.

Having gone across that bridge we also become a voice of experience. We can comfort and guide the next person who is crossing after us. We can cheer from the other side and encourage each step taken. Because of our own journey, we can be a beacon for the next travellers to follow.

We never walk this path alone. God is beside us through every step, every tear, every heartbreak, every disappointment. He will show us the route to take to get to the other side, but the way may not be smooth. We may have to traverse some treacherous trails, but he is there holding our hands so we don’t fall. Keep plodding along. Keep moving forward. You will reach the other side, eventually!