We’ve just come back from a trip to Hell and back. Literally. It’s a remote campsite deep in the Swartberg mountains, called The Hell. The small village at the bottom was first called Hell because of the terrible route to get there. A road was built in the 60s, but the 40km journey still takes over two hours. It starts off as a decent gravel road but quickly becomes steep, rocky, and full of sharp switchbacks. And just when it feels truly like “hell,” you arrive – in paradise. A lush, green valley bursting with life and beauty. It’s absolutely stunning. I suppose most things worth experiencing require us to push through some suffering. Earning a degree, running a marathon, it’s never easy. The same is true for our spiritual journey. Life will be hard. We weren’t promised paradise now. But we were promised that God would be with us, and that in the end, there’s a reward greater than anything we can imagine. “What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.” (Romans 8:18). Whatever you’re going through, hold on. God has prepared something beyond words for you. (Craig B) Open Bible – https://bit.ly/rom8v18
