If anyone had have seen me on those hills they may have thought I was bobbing up and down on the spot, but that's as fast as I could go on these slopes!

Deuteronomy 2:1-37

Reference:  v.3 "You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.". (NIV Bible)

Explore:   I've just started running again... well, I call it running but really it's just a bouncy walk!  The area of Melbourne I live in is great for my exercise regime because it has many walking paths and it's completely flat.  I mean, I don't mind running down the hills, it's the up hill journey that's the struggle.  A few weeks ago I was at a conference for a week.  Not wanting to lose my exercise momentum I decided to get up early one morning and go for a run in this new area where the conference was being held.  As the sun had not risen yet and I didn't know the area that well,  I decided to stick to running along the road.  I had noticed that the terrain was a little more undulating when I had driven to the conference but had no idea of how steep the hills were until I attempted to run up them.  If anyone had have seen me on those hills they may have thought I was bobbing up and down on the spot, but that's as fast as I could go on these slopes!  It was tough going and so different to my normal run but I finally made it over all those hills and back to the conference centre.

Application:  Sometimes we go through periods of time in our life where we feel like we're running through the hill country.  Everything just seems to take more effort and become more difficult.  We wonder whether we'll ever walk on even ground again.  And yet the Lord knows that we go through seasons in our life.  There are times when we experience the up-hill battles, times when we enjoy the down-hill ride and other times when life seems to be on an even-keel.  Whatever the season we are in, there is a new season ahead.  Whether we are in a season of joy or struggle, the Lord is always close by.  He acknowledges our slopes and gives us strength and courage to face whatever might be up ahead.

Prayer:  Thank you Lord for taking the journey with us.  Amen.

What is your terrain like at the moment?  Are you enduring an up-hill battle, enjoying the down-hill slope or feeling like you're on an even keel?