The Hill Difficulty

“He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.”

-Isaiah 49:10

There is a glacial lake that lies high in a fold of Jug Handle Peak in the mountains north of our home in Idaho. It’s a small dot on the map, but a place of rare beauty and tranquility.

The route to the lake, however, lies up a steep, exposed ridge through boulders and loose scree. There’s no respite from relentless effort. In the summer, the sun beats down mercilessly and there’s no shade to be found anywhere. It’s a strenuous ascent-hard on my old heart and legs.

There is a brook, however, at the bottom of the climb-a spring that seeps out of soft, mossy earth, and flows through a lush meadow crammed with flowers that bloom in wild profusion.