I was replying to a thread and I really feel that the mental picture is important.
When I think of doing something hard or going through a tough time, I think of hiking a mountain - the first time I was above 13,000 feet to be specific. I wasn't used to the air and the path didn't exist even though I was "on" it - sometimes we aren't sure if we're in the right place. It was really steep; the scree was loose. It was a take-one-step-up-and-slide-back-half-of-that sort of a deal. Imagine this for a second.
....
Do it!
...
Now imagine those people that are stopping because "they don't think they can do it." They whine and cry. Then they do something utterly stupid - they start building a fragile little shelter!
Back to the trip...
I had traveled a long way without rest. It was hard to make regular progress without lots of breathing. So guess what? I stopped and breathed a lot!
Spiritual breathing is usually described as prayer.
So when things get very VERY difficult, I would slow my pace - a lot! I would pray - a lot! I would try to look around and make sure that I wasn't in the wrong place - that I was in good company. It's always easier to climb a mountain when you have unrelenting encouragement pushing you all the way. This is why God tells us to find and be around people - it makes things easier.
When I think of doing something hard or going through a tough time, I think of hiking a mountain - the first time I was above 13,000 feet to be specific. I wasn't used to the air and the path didn't exist even though I was "on" it - sometimes we aren't sure if we're in the right place. It was really steep; the scree was loose. It was a take-one-step-up-and-slide-back-half-of-that sort of a deal. Imagine this for a second.
....
Do it!
...
Now imagine those people that are stopping because "they don't think they can do it." They whine and cry. Then they do something utterly stupid - they start building a fragile little shelter!
Back to the trip...
I had traveled a long way without rest. It was hard to make regular progress without lots of breathing. So guess what? I stopped and breathed a lot!
Spiritual breathing is usually described as prayer.
So when things get very VERY difficult, I would slow my pace - a lot! I would pray - a lot! I would try to look around and make sure that I wasn't in the wrong place - that I was in good company. It's always easier to climb a mountain when you have unrelenting encouragement pushing you all the way. This is why God tells us to find and be around people - it makes things easier.