JAMES 1:3
I was spending a week hiking in the high peaks of the Adirondack Mountains with five other girls and two counselors, and they had just announced that it was quiet time. I found a nice, secluded spot in the woods and prayed. Dear God, please challenge me in my faith this week, challenge me to deepen my relationship with you. When we started on our overland hike to the next campsite, it was just the right temper-ature and my pack felt light on my shoulders. But after a while I was sweating as I jumped from rock to rock with my huge pack to avoid the thick mud, but my pants got muddy anyway. A fly buzzed around my head, and I got all wet from the rain on the bushes. Then I hit my head on a log that hung across the path. When we finally got to our campsite, I discovered that we were sleeping in the lean-to with the spiders instead of our nice bug-proof tents. Tears came to my eyes, and I was thinking, Okay, God! What’s with this? Why am I having such a miserable day? Then I remembered that I asked Him to challenge me in my faith. I realized He was challenging me to be cheerful in all circumstances, and I was failing miserably. I prayed that God would give me the strength to be cheerful, even though I was having a crummy day, and He gave me just the strength I needed to continue on through the next few days in the high peaks.
Allison Engel, 16, Wheaton North High School, Wheaton, IL
Dear God, please challenge
me in my faith today. Challenge me to deepen my relationship with You.