Breathless

I have been walking with a friend recently early in the morning. The purpose of the walk is to get me in shape. A side benefit of this walk is that I am walking with a dear, dear friend and we get to chat all along the way. As we begin our walk the road is level. Gradually, the road steepens until it is a very steep little hill. Each morning as we walk and approach this hill I begin to dread it. By the time we are 1/4 the way up this little hill I am REALLY hating it. Half way up I am totally out of breath. I trudge along though chatting with my good friend and with the cheerfulness of my good friend's talking with me, I make it to the top! It probably takes another fifty yards or so before I am back "in breath" again. From there on out it is such a wonderful walk!! Adrenaline is an amazing thing. 

You know, life is a lot like that walk. Sometimes life gets so tough we get totally out of breath. Each step is a struggle and we think there is NO WAY we can go on. However, if we trudge along breathless, trusting we CAN make it, somehow before we even realize it we are past the tough part and enjoying our lives again. 

When life makes me breathless I must listen to the good Words of One who truly loves me. When I listen and walk with Him, I will still remain breathless. Life sometimes will still require one struggling step at a time, but before I even realize it once again I have got my "breath back" and am walking quite easily again. 

Just as with my early morning walks with my friend, I benefit most in life from the breathless moments. I hate that hill when I am walking it but when it is over I feel so good that I did it! What an accomplishment! In life, those tough times teach us a lot. They can be so very hard, but we don't need to travel them alone. I'm so glad I have my good friend to walk with in the mornings and I am so very thankful I have Christ to travel this journey of life with. 

~Penni