Hey!
I was looking at some pictures from my honeymoon the other
day. I was reminded of a really rewarding hike that we took near Waikiki Beach
to Manoa Falls. This hike was one of our favorite on that trip.
Before I let you in on all the wonderful parts of this hike,
let me share all the details: We were staying at a nice resort that allowed us
a late checkout of 1:00pm. We would be boarding our ship for our cruise later
that afternoon.
So, we woke up early and headed to the bakery and grabbed
some yummy cheese danishes. We had our backpacks full of water, snacks,
sunscreen, bug spray, extra socks and raincoats. We hopped onto the public bus
with a song in our hearts. We headed to the end of the line where we then hiked
about a mile through private neighborhoods before finding the trailhead. The
trailhead was a bit sketchy, but we were sure this was the place and continued
forward. At first, we were rewarded with a beautiful scene out of…well…the
television show, “Lost”.
It was so beautiful and we were thrilled to see what lay
ahead. We had talked with several locals and they recommended that this was one
of the best waterfall hikes on this island and it only took about 30 minutes to
hike. We really only had a few hours, because we needed to get our luggage out
of the resort by 1:00pm, so we thought we would be able to hike a short 30
minutes easily.
We knew that rain was always present in Hawaii, but we
hadn’t counted on a downpour during our hike. It only rained for about 10
minutes, but that was long enough. We pulled on our raincoats and hid under a
really old Banyan tree. What we were left with was mud, mud, and more mud. I
had mud in my hair, mud in my shoes, mud in places that frankly, mud should not
be. There were places that the trial was nothing but mud and we were slipping
and sliding up the side of hills to get to the waterfall. At one point we were
ready to turn around and go back. It just didn’t seem like it would be worth
it. We couldn’t see the waterfall in advance because of all the lush foliage.
We had stopped for a water break and looked at our watches wondering if we
would now make it back to the resort in time to take showers or not. There were
just so many reasons to turn around and give up.
We didn’t give up. We plunged forward through the mud and
finally made it to the top. We were rewarded with one of the most beautiful
waterfalls on the islands. We enjoyed marveling at the great beauty that God
hid away on this mountain in Hawaii. We were struck by the awesomeness of God
in those brief moments next to the waterfall. What joy we would have missed if
we had turned back.
The point is that sometimes God allows discomfort in order
to get us to the place of great joy. It wasn’t fun walking through all that
mud, but the reward at the end was so beautiful!
I am asked often if I know why God has allowed this illness
in my life. I can give an answer, but is an answer necessary? God allows rain
on the just and the unjust…the saved and the unsaved. The questions should
really be, why not me! Why should I not go through the rain or mud? The reward
of going through the rain and mud will be so worth it! I have no doubt of that!
God brings beauty from the ashes, joy for mourning, praise instead of a failing
spirit…and in my case, health for sickness! I don’t know what the days hold,
but I chose to hold onto the promise that I am in His faithful care!
Be encouraged…He loves you very much!
Until next time…
