Our burdens can be lighter through God’s goodness

By the end of our adventure, we were covered with mosquito bites and dirt, as well as layer upon layer of sunscreen and mosquito repellent — but the memories made it all worth it.

One of our favorite places to backpack with our three daughters is the Goat Rocks Wilderness.

There are beautiful views of Mt. Rainier, and a lovely lake that we enjoy camping near. This year, as we hiked the four miles to camp, we were just praying that our jogging stroller would hold up to the terrain.

You see, our youngest child has special needs.

In years past, we carried her using a baby carrier, but this year she is too big. Our older girls are now strong enough to carry their own water and sleeping bags and are such champs. Because we are a little bit crazy, we also backpacked in our inflatable paddleboard.

The stroller did great and we made it to the lake. We had a wonderful time playing in the lake, ate way too many Little Debbie treats, and just loved being out in nature.

As I (Tim) paddled around the lake and the little island in the middle, I felt my soul fill with wonder and appreciation for God’s creations. I felt the peace and beauty of that lovely place seep deep into my soul. It felt like a holy place, and we all felt God’s love as we soaked in the beauty around us.

Now, lest you think the whole trip was butterflies and blue skies, there still were bumps, scrapes and even an our oldest child had an eye swollen shut because of a mosquito bite on the eyelid.

When we got back to the car, and the girls finally removed their packs, they both started to hop around laughing, while singing, “So light! So light!”

It was a sweet moment to witness. We all laughed and thought, “Life is like this. Our burdens are made light through the goodness of God.”

We feel like we have so much to be grateful for. In the Bible it says, “… and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.” (Isaiah 51:3).

This year we have had our share of highs and lows. Soon after COVID hit, we received a life-altering diagnosis for our youngest child. This absolutely rocked our world, but we are so honored to be her parents. She is perfect just the way she is — the way God created her.

Genesis 1:31 says, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” Somehow, the Lord has been able to make our wilderness of 2020-2021 into an Eden of joy and gladness.

During difficult times we often experience a greater capacity to feel joy, as though God sees the part of our hearts carved away by our sorrow and uses it as an opportunity to fill us up with more of his love.

It seems counterintuitive for pain to bring joy, but then again, God is good. So it makes perfect sense. We love him.