“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.”  Isaiah 43:19

I fell to my knees, legs and lungs burning from slogging uphill through sliding sand. Looking up, I realized I wasn’t even half-way up the massive sand dune and the sun was quickly sinking.

I’m never gonna make it, I thought. I began to doubt if the view at the top would really be worth the effort.

I have to admit, at times these last few months have felt a lot like climbing that huge sand dune.

The challenges  seemed so much bigger than me. For every step forward, I seemed to slide a half-step back. The sand would slide out from under me and I’d end up on my knees, the clock ticking down, wondering why I ever thought the result would be worth the struggle.

Thankfully, in the case mentioned above I wasn’t alone in my dune-climbing efforts.  My dear half-marathon-running sister realized I hadn’t managed to keep up, and came back for me.

With many words of encouragement,  she took my hand, hauled me up out of the sand, and pulled me bodily up the side of the sand dune so I could see a stunning sunset over the Arabian desert.

And I have to say, the view was indeed worth the climb.

After a season of feeling very much like I’ve been wandering in the “wasteland,” I find it rather ironic that my trip to the literal desert to attend my cousin’s wedding ended up being a time of great refreshment and encouragement, as God reminded me I don’t have to make the climb alone.