Yesterday I had the opportunity to go fishing with a couple of buddies from work. I enjoy fishing. My dad started taking me fishing when I was little.
Every now and then we face challenges in our lives that are completely unexpected, and we wonder how we are going to get out of such a mess. Our fishing spot was just outside of a little town in Idaho on the Warm River. It’s oftentimes said to be a good spot, unless you’re me and have minimal experience fishing rivers.
It was a beautiful area. When on the path you occasionally had some beautiful views. We even ran into some wildlife during the day. One of us saw some otters, another a baby bear, and a deer crossing the road on the way back towards town.
As beautiful as this place was, to fish you had to hike down sometimes steep sides of the canyon to get to the river. On our way back after having been out a few hours, we decided to fish the area pictured above. The climb down took about a half hour, as well as the ascent. I’ll admit I was worried, especially on the way up. It was either loose rock/boulders or dirt. Climbing something that steep is pretty difficult, and even more so with a fishing pole. I became physically exhausted. Once I was about 80 percent up, the rocks to assist me disappeared, and I was left to pushing my feet into the dirt as much as possible to push up, and grabbing on plants, hoping the roots were strong enough to help me up. By the time I reached the top my mouth was completely dry and full of dust, and I wondered how I even made it.
God has a reputation for allowing his children to go through trials to shape and mold us into the beings He created us to be. Though the task may seem difficult at the moment, it is possible, and even more possible when you do it with the Lord. I found myself praying often on the way down and the way up, and I am thankful that I made it safely back.
“And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” -Malachi 3:3
The Latter-day Life 