training in progress

"my son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives" Heb 12:5-6

if there is anything that NIE has taught me, it is that we have been and will be in training all our lives. i am thankful for the training, and thankful for God's patience and grace throughout this process.


when preparing for rinjani, i knew i had to train hard for it as it was my first. and train i did. but in all honesty, i should have started earlier, trained harder, and tackled it with more discipline than i actually displayed. physical training was not yet part of my lifestyle but a regime newly grafted into my schedule. and that superficiality showed when the mountain came.

on the day of testing, one's work will be revealed for what it is.

if i had trained harder, the climb would have been less of a struggle and more of an appreciation. if i had made myself more fit for it, i would have been less of a burden and more of a support to my friends. and yes i could say that at least i made the effort. but halfway is not all the way, and pain not paid earlier will be exacted later.



and rinjani speaks again because of the new mountains to climb. i have begun the ascent, and have passed enough checkpoints to understand why God did certain things in the past. i have seen enough to be thankful for His chastening, and stumbled enough to be berating myself for not having trained harder. i am half-ready and half-mountain-trained, a half-baked half-past-six girl climbing and stumbling and crying in recognition of her weaknesses. like rinjani, there is no turning back. there is only a new challenge to face every day, waiting for companionship each night, and God-dependence all the way.


i plead for grace. and tractability under Your training.


"now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." Heb 12:11