Stream of Life

About a month ago, I was at a retreat and we had free time. And as usual with my free time, I decided to wander off and this time along the creek up stream. It was quite adventerous and exciting as well as overall peaceful, challenging, and quiet. I started out with one of my distant friends. Quickly I realized this travel would be a metaphor for my walk and also my life in general. He started with shoes and soon found it hard to go as quickly and agilely as I. At certain points he caught up and even took the lead, but I soon took the lead once again. Times were hard, especially when neither of us could help the other. At certain points we had to get wet, we had to get dirty and wade through to get to the next step. At a point, he told me he had to turn back. Although I thought he could stay longer, I knew he must leave if that be his will and even though it would be a lonely and even more difficult road ahead, I had to let him go. After he left, I proceeded on my journey and as I had imagined, it was much lonelier, slower, and more difficult, but I pushed through. I began to enjoy this time and see it as a blessing, a time for me to focus and think and let go of the world. I soon found myself scaling vertical rock faces and passing easily over waterfalls. The small troubles I once viewed as mountains now seemed like dust. My fear and frustration stood no more, I was in near perfect peace. Through this, I learned that struggles are not given to us as a punishment, we unconsciously seek them out, it is our nature, they are a part of the journey we must make. They are given to us as blessings, though we cannot see at the time, God gives us these hard times to help us, to strengthen us because it is in these desperate times that we meet his Love and Grace face to face. It is in these times that we allow Him to hold us. We learn and we grow. The greatest knowledge is found not in our victories but through our greatest losses.