My sister and I headed to Medicine Lodge for a few days of rest and relaxation, away from the "busyness" of life. I was looking forward to a long over-due and much-anticipated vacation.
We didn't rush off in the morning and took our leisurely time getting there, as the check-in time at the Airbnb was 3:00. Even so we got to Medicine Lodge well before 3, so decided to check out Barber State Lake.
In spite of the clouds and chilly air, it was a great day for a walk, and we decided to tackle the (supposedly) 2-mile walk around the lake. It looked simple enough. From where we stood we could see the whole lake and a road winding around. In high spirits we started off!
After awhile the sun came out and I started shedding some of my jackets. About half way we found a spot to sit and gaze at the water, while continuing one of our many and varied conversations. We soon started off again and then began to question where this road was taking us. It didn't seem quite as clear as before. There seemed to be lots of other roads branching off. Time and again we would take what seemed to be the right road, only to find it just looped back around to the road we had been on earlier. We tried to keep the lake in view as well as our vehicle on the other side.
The sun was getting hotter and the energy level starting to wane. We were getting thirsty and beginning to question whether we should turn around and go back the way we had come. But, no, we were not lost, we were quite sure of that for the lake was still in view! And so we trudged on. At last it seemed we were getting somewhere when I spotted a quaint-looking bridge and begged Ann to stop. I just wanted to sit and swing my legs on that bridge and feel like a care-free 10-year-old again! So we did! It was then that Ann decided to pull up the GPS and try to figure out where we were. We were surprised to discover that there were two parts to this lake and this was the exact spot where we needed to cut across in order to get back to point A.
Isn't this much how life often is? We start out in high spirits but then the way seems long, the sun is hot and we are tired and thirsty. This seems to be taking much longer than we expected and we're not even sure if we are on the right road. We wonder if we should turn around and go back. But, no, there is the lake and our final destination we can see in the distance. We press on, trusting God to show the way. We may take a few extra loops (which leave us feeling loopy!) but we get on the right track again. And as we stop on the bridge to take a break and feel the joy of being 10 again, we realize this is the bridge that will take us back home.
