Dont Stop Climbing written by Bambi Lynn

When I went back home to buffalo, I went on a hike with one of my girlfriends. We seem to always do something that pushes her and myself. This time was no different. Instead of going to Letchworth State Park we decided on another falls that you could walk up and catch a beautiful view. Neither one of us knew what we were getting ourselves into, but we were up for the challenge. The day was beautiful and perfect. The leaves were still intact and showing off a little bit with the sun shining and making them sparkle in the light. As we were climbing the falls we realized the falls came in layers. When we reached the top of what we thought was the falls, we could see there was another one. So, we kept walking and to our surprise the next set of falls was even prettier than the last. We walked five different layers of the falls until we saw a dam and a bridge and couldn't go any further.

To tell you we were surprised by the gift God had just given us was an understatement. What a word picture of his love and how we seem to give up before the grand finale of our lives. I had a pastor one time preach on, "How Big is the Fathers Heart" We forget, and he is okay in reminding us.

That walk wasn't easy for me. There were places that I didn't know where to put my foot to get me up to the next level. I had my friend hold out her hand and help pull me up and had to sit on my butt many times to get back down. But there was no way I was missing out on this blessing. No way that anything was getting in the way of seeing something so beautiful that it still takes my breath away in my thoughts of that day. I began to see it as Holy Ground, even so that I sat on a rock and my friend sat on another and we prayed. I hadn't had a moment like that since I climbed the mountain in California with my son and his former wife.

As I reflect on that, I learned a lesson to never stop, the life we have is a one-time deal and then it's gone like vapor. We can take the time to see the beauty all around us and know that God is in it. Some of the saddest valleys we have been in brought us to the greatest mountain experience, and in this case the falls. trials break us but, God rebuilds us, and he takes us to the mountains so we can look down and see how far we have come.

I was so sore the next day, to a point I felt like I was in a battle, I could barely walk. But my soul had been refreshed. I was taught a lesson that day, though you walk through seasons of hardship, do not fear, God has already gone ahead, preparing blessings beyond the pain. His grace is greater than our trials. Each trial in our lives leads to the greatest treasures. Each trial is a lesson, that in the midst of the storm we will see his beauty and see that peace will come. We sometimes are beaten up and the storm is too intense, and we think we can't make it. but God! I was so scared of falling that day. I was scared I wouldn't be able to get up and finish the hike. I was scared I would miss out and not be able to make it to each level. As I was climbing, I didn't want to stop, and I just kept going. I had to rest some moments to keep going. but it gave me time to see how far I have come and tell myself I can keep going. Those moments of rest reminded me that God has brought me so far and I don't ever want to miss anything when he does it. How Big is the Fathers Heart? I am truly learning everyday just how big it is.His heart comes in layers like the falls did. Each time I think I have seen the best; he shows up and says it gets better. Don't stop at the foot of the mountain, keep going, keep walking, keep believing, and keep stopping along the trail to see that His heart is really big for you