How a trip to Costa Rica taught me to follow God even when it doesn't make sense - Live Loved

I lifted my head to scan the area above me. I grabbed on to the sharp rock jutting out of the mountainside as I simultaneously placed my foot on another rock and prayed neither would slip out of my grip. Every move was calculated. Every move was strategic. Don’t look down. Don’t look down. Don’t look down.

It was those three words I muttered to myself as I scaled up the waterfalls in Costa Rica.

I used every ounce of strength to pull myself up the rocks. My muscles were aching, and the knee I had almost broken earlier was turning a shade of purple as a few of the cuts around it oozed bright red. Parts of my skin were scratched raw, but it didn’t matter. I was having a blast! It also helped that my adrenaline was rushing like crazy.

The fact that I was not immune to death on vacation never crossed my mind. It just seemed adventurous and fun. There was no other way to make it up the mountain, so I grabbed onto the rope dangling above me, held on tight and prayed it would hold.

Our journey didn’t start out this complicated. Our journey started out relatively easy.

It was 8 a.m. on a Monday, and the sunlight was barely streaming through the thick canopy of trees. The jungle seemed to swallow any life that entered it. We piled out of our tour guide’s SUV and started down the dirt trail marked out for us.

We splashed our feet in a few small streams and observed the plants that surrounded us. I began daydreaming about the beach that was a few minutes away. So far, the highlight of the trail was a colony of ants scurrying by with leaves on their back. Real exciting stuff going on here.

The group halted to a stop as we rounded the corner, and a small waterfall was to our right. Our guide looked at us and said, “Okay. Are you guys ready?” We stripped down to our bathing suits and jumped in to explore the smaller stream of waterfalls that flowed from the one we were looking at. After what seemed like hours of swimming, we climbed back upstream.

Our guide looked at us and said, “Okay. Are you guys ready?” Ready for what? There was more? I really didn’t know how the next one could be better than the one we were in. I debated protesting. But the guide told us to follow him, so we kept walking.

The incline got steeper. Our bodies were a little worn from climbing the first series of streams. We reached the next waterfall; and to our surprise, it was bigger and better than the first one.

After splashing around, our guide looked at us and said, “Okay. Are you ready?” Was this a joke? I highly doubted the next one could be better, but I climbed out anyways.

I turned to keep walking down the path, but I couldn’t find it. We were surrounded on all three sides by mountain and water. The fourth side was the path we had just traveled on. Was I missing it? Maybe I was looking in the wrong direction. What happened to the dirt path we were just walking on?

Our guide lifted his backpack over his head and marched through water that came up to our chests. So, we lifted our backpacks over our heads and marched behind. We swam to the opposite end of the pool and climbed up the steps on the mountainside.

No wonder I couldn’t find the path- only the guide would’ve known where that path was. But the guide told us to follow him, so we kept swimming.

After we made it up the steps, I looked around for the dirt path again. There was only the slippery, rocky mountainside, which failed to accommodate guard rails or hand bars. One of the girls behind me asked where the handicap ramp was. I think that sums up what we were all thinking. We grabbed onto the rope and pulled ourselves up the incline. Each pull was harder than the one before.

Muscles were beginning to shake. Scratches were beginning to bleed. Bruises were starting to swell. We had to keep climbing and pulling if we wanted to make it to the top- or stay alive (parents did not know about this until after the fact- and neither did we LOL). But the guide told us to follow him, so we kept climbing.

I hung my head down as I worked to catch my breath. We had made it to the top. I looked up, and I was greeted with the most beautiful waterfall. It was bigger and better than the first one. Sunlight beamed through the trees, making the water sparkle as it ran through the rocks.

I sat there stunned as I thought about the journey we had traveled to get here. There were hours spent hiking and pushing ourselves past our limits to get to this moment.

It was worth it.

One thing I noticed while we were hiking was our leadership. The guide was always ahead of us. He was always ready to offer a hand, whether that was at the bottom when the path was easy, or while we were going up when the path was difficult.

But then there were also times he would run behind us to direct our hand placement or give us an extra boost up. He didn’t want us to fall, and he knew we couldn’t climb it on our own.

We find ourselves on similar paths in life. Our path starts out easy- it’s steady and paved. As we start to climb up the mountain, the path gets steeper. There may even be some points we can’t find the path we’re supposed to be on. We feel confused and lost, maybe even tricked.

If the path we started on looked so easy, why is it hard to follow now? I didn’t prepare for this. How do I know that I won’t fall? This actually looks a little scary so I think I’m gonna bail. Call a helicopter, I’m getting off this mountain. Where’s the handicap ramp again??

An easy climb never made for a pretty view.

Just like our guide, God goes before us to lift us up; He goes behind us to boost us up; and He goes with us to encourage us on our climb. He is our guide, and we are called to follow Him even when it looks scary.

You won’t always know what you’re climb is going to look like. It could be an easy path; but chances are it has some slippery rocks you have to scale to get all the way up. You’re going to have bloody cuts, purple bruises and a few almost broken bones.

When the guide told us to follow him, we kept walking; we kept climbing; we kept swimming. That’s exactly what we need to do when Jesus tells us to follow Him. And sometimes when we follow Him, He needs to run behind us so He can give us an extra boost up.

While you’re climbing, it might feel like you don’t have the strength to endure or move forward because the challenge is so big and the mountain is so high. Grip the rope and trust your Guide.

The climb is never accomplished in our own strength but in HIS strength. When you reach the waterfall at the top, you’ll realize it was an experience you can learn from, grow from and gain strength from.

The climb is hard, but the view is great. Follow the Guide. He’ll lead you up the climb to the next waterfall. And it’s going to be bigger and better than the one before.