BAND OF BROTHERS
I waited. And it was worth the wait. It wasn’t just a hiking trip down the Grand Canyon. It was a bonding of brothers carrying each others pack, both literally and figuratively. Each of them went with different expectations, different life experiences, different spiritual paths. But they had one thing in common. God. It’s moments like these where the truth about their lives and purpose hinge on the REALITY of truth..truth in a living God. The trails were treacherous, and covered with debris from all the rains. Their knees hurt, the blisters grew bigger, and the packs grew heavier. But, they banded together and brought each other through it all. Two of them stayed a little higher up while the other two went closer to the river. And it was in these quiet times that God was shared. In one of the stories an event happened in which there was no explanation for how they were still alive. Many had seen the clothes and the rest of the casualties and could only say that the one saved had a purpose. But even with that knowledge you can still get lost. Until Jesus shows up again. And so He did. Kev needed help this time ( he tweaked his knee going down) and for the first time, Jake was able to be there for him ( Andreas helped too!). Sometimes in life when you are pushed to the limit, or finally share personal pain, can you see that Jesus is real. And this trip showed them how much they needed Him and each other. They left enthusiastically but came back as a band of brothers. When I asked if they would do this again they immediately said yes…even knowing how difficult the journey was. Of all the mountaineering Kev has done this was by far his most treasured one because of the love of his son Jake, his nephew, and our newly adopted son too( ok, not really adopted but kinda of! ) They were all there for him…just as they had promised. I wish I could share the intimate details of the stories of how God revealed Himself but, I can say, with tears in both Kevin and my eyes, God showed up in a big way, not just on the trip but everything that lead up to this adventure to the Grand Canyon. As they described it was “ epic, phenomenal, they made it alive”, but in the end it was life changing. If you are going through a difficult season, a time of great personal pain, I encourage you to hand it over to Jesus. Let Him carry your pack of worries, heal your wounded heart, strengthen your resolve so that you can finish the race you were meant to run. For in the end you will find your peace, your purpose, your JOY…Amen and amen.