Life’s path is good for the soul

“Where did the trail go?” My son Steven, my husband Kerry, and I were hiking the Cascade trail that leads from Byers Lake to the top of Kesugi Ridge. Years ago, the old trail to the ridge was primitive. I recall scrambling up the steep mountainside using both hands and feet to climb tree roots as if they were a ladder. (My husband loved that primitive trail. Me—not so much.) The new trail is a steady climb on a solid trail full of switchbacks.

At one point in our hike, a large fallen tree made the trail impassable, so we followed a footpath downhill around the tree. On the other side of the tree, we climbed upwards, expecting to reconnect with the path. We walked up to the left and the right and couldn’t find the trail. I suggested we go back to the fallen tree to look for the route. Against our natural intuition, we walked downhill to where we left the trail to walk around the tree. My son found where we went wrong. The trail turned surprisingly left and down on the other side of the fallen tree, a completely new direction. It was illogical. Thankful, we continued our hike and enjoyed exploring Kesugi Ridge.

Life is an interesting journey, isn’t it? Sometimes we feel we are on a primitive trail, scrambling our way up. Sometimes we sense no trail at all and find ourselves wandering. Sometimes our life takes an unexpected turn and we wonder why we have to travel this unexpected—and often unwanted—direction. Why do we have to endure hard things?

Since we are children of God, our life and eternal potential is his gift to us. This means our soul is of the greatest worth. Because we are of infinite worth, our life path is valuable in every phase as we grow and learn. We call on Jesus Christ to help us master and refine our infinite souls as we respond to physical, mental and spiritual challenges of all varieties.

I was sitting in a restaurant recently with my 95-year-old mother. I am an empty-nester, wife of almost 40 years, mother and grandmother. My exercise style is low-impact. I have freedom and flexibility. Sometimes I am overwhelmed with helping family members, and sometimes I have moments of loneliness, wondering how my children grew up so fast. I worry about my knees and my bones.

My mother was sitting next to me in her wheelchair with her sense of humor and tender love for me. Her exercise is using her arms and legs to maneuver her wheelchair and to get up and down throughout the day. Some of her opportunities are to love, pray for, and enjoy children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Her challenges are to endure the continuing loss of mobility, vision and hearing while maintaining a lively hope of “good things to come” (see Hebrews 9:11-12). She gives humor, love and proven faith to those around her.

Coming in the door of the restaurant was a pregnant mother with a young child. The young mother was full of energy, great physical strength and endurance. Her opportunities may include creating life, loving and nurturing children, and developing her career if she chooses. Her trials could be financial limitations, lack of sleep, and a daily need for great patience. The three of us represented a spectrum of life’s opportunities and challenges. Each stage of life has its blessings and it’s hardships. Each stage has ways to grow and learn. How do we muster the courage to face life’s spectrum of challenges? Where is our path, and how do we know if we are on it?

The key to that answer is understanding who we are. We are beloved children of Heavenly Father. Our life is created by him and our potential is divine. Our worth is not connected to our present habits, age, income, or physical strength. “The least, the most inferior spirit now upon the earth … is worth worlds,” taught Brigham Young, former president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jeremiah 31:3 KJV says, “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.”

As we follow our individual life paths, we can find new strength during each life stage. We get to grow in our capacity to overcome and endure challenges. We increase in patience. The twists and turns in our life’s path allow us to grow closer to Jesus and our Heavenly Father as we reach out to them for vision, hope and help. Our life’s path stretches our souls as we endure hard things, keeping our hope centered on Jesus.

Climbing our life’s path pushes our endurance and may bring detours or bruises. But, as it turns out, it’s good work for the soul.

Beth Wright and her family love the Alaskan outdoors. They are blessed to be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.