The Parable of the Hike

     Have you ever been hiking before?  If you have or have not, just in vision imagine starting at the base of a tall mountain with your gear in hand.  You are prepped and ready for the ascent all the way up to the top and are eagerly waiting to partake of the beauty of the world all around you as you traverse this wilderness.  You can not wait till you get to the top and get to see everything around you in just a totally beautiful way.  Now with that as a backdrop, I would like to tell you of one of my experiences hiking.
     It was a crisp spring morning the day I and a couple a friends got together to go hike a neighboring mountain which was within a reasonable distance from our apartments.  We got up early-ish in the morning so we could get back and still have a usable day afterwards.  We were all super excited and we have been looking forward to this for a long time.  As we proceeded forth with our supplies in hand, we started our adventure.  While the trail felt long and steep, with our company slipping on snow the entire way up, we still persevered to get to the top.  We kept our sights on our goal and we endured to the end.
     Now, there was this really cool spot about 3/4ths of the way up that was super tempting to stop at.  As we crested this last hill, we came across a little plain that looked like it had been untouched for decades.  The snow that had fallen was wind swept and looked like the dunes of the desert (minimized of course).  Then, to add to this, all the evergreens which surrounded this little meadow had just a sprinkle of snow on them.  It was just plain picturesque, to say the least.  To top it off, you could only hear the wind on the trees and just whatever nature decided to treat you with.  In short, it was beautiful - you could just spend a day there and life would be great.  But as beautiful as it was, we knew that there were yet better things in store.  So, we put aside this wonderful place for an even better one that was waiting for us.
     When we got to the top, it was just wonderful, because first, we endured to the end, and second, we got to eat lunch, which was heavenly because we were ravenous from the hike up there, then finally, the view.  That view made the long trek so worthwhile.  We could see from one end of the valley to another, and it was just stupendous.  We saw where we had started and where we had ended up.  I would show you the wonderful panoramic we took, but I am having some formatting issues with it, but needless to say it was breath taking.  I did however find a picture that looks about as amazing as I remember.  It was worth all the pain, worth enduring the cold, brisk winter air, worth every step.

     Now, this is all important when we take a eternal perspective on things.  We kept our sights on our goal of reaching the top - that which was desirable above everything else we came across.  Just like our Heavenly Father wants what is best for us by keeping our sights on Him as so we can receive all that He has in store for us.  I want you all to know that I know that if we endure our trials in this life well, God will give us all He has, and we can return to live with Him again.