Uphill Battles

It's been said that we cannot pretend to know another person's journey until we've walked a mile in their shoes. Or perhaps, pedaled a mile on their bicycle.

I came across this gentleman this morning on my commute to work. It was windy and the temperature was hovering around 15 degrees – the high for the day.

I could only imagine what a frigid uphill battle he was facing on this stretch of road. In fact, this may have been the easy part of his journey. In jeans and flannel jacket, he wasn't dressed for recreational exercise. But I have no idea where he was headed or how long it would take him to get there.

Or if he was even struggling. Maybe he was exhilarated by the below-freezing breeze. Maybe he just had to get to his next-door neighbor's.

We don't know. We can guess. But we really don't know.

I've had my share of uphill battles. Some I've made public and some, not so much. Each and every day there is something that appears in the form of an uphill climb. It might be a little hill, or it might be insurmountable. My goal is to level off some of those big hills so that I am on a steady course.

It IS a battle. I try to hand it over to God. But I don't always let him take it. He reminds me that He doesn't make junk. He doesn't care if I am a size 6 or size 16. He loves me as I am. And I need to love myself.

Can you imagine how freeing it would be if the bike was going in the other direction and we were coasting down hill?

That's what it must be like when one is at peace with herself. I can't pretend to know. I can only imagine.

But I hope to get there one day.