Severally weeks ago I had the opportunity to go on a hike. This was my 1st hike that I have taken since I was a teenager and I wasn’t prepared for what I was about to experience. It wasn’t anything that we had planned, but one of those seize the moment opportunities. In life we are presented with opportunities and if not recognized they will pass us by and once passed we may never get that opportunity again. Instead of seizing the moment we allow fear to keep and hold us in the place of “what if” and we miss the chance of experiencing new life. I decided to take a chance and seize the moment and experience new life and I am so glad that I did. The security guard let us know that they were about to do a hiking tour and if we wanted to join them he let us know where to go. When I went over to ask them about the tour he said that we would have to pay and sign up in advance, but that they were waiting for a few others and if they didn’t show up we could go if we wanted to wait. Long story short God favored us to be able to go. So the tour guide began explain to us about the tour and some of the things that we will be seeing. It was about 50 degrees outside and the sun was about to go down. The tour would take approximately an 1hr. The trail was 2 miles long and more than 1,000 ft deep. My first thought was I am going to freeze. I am a summer baby,so I get cold quick. I then remembered that I was already layered in clothing and that I also had on a jacket, so with us walking we should pick up some heat. We got to our first overlook and it was Amazing. As you looked in every angle you could see the height and depth as you looked upon the waterfalls it was just simply breathing taking. I love to be around water because it is so peaceful. Then I looked down. Let me just say it was a loooong way down. So I took my focus off of the way down and continued to enjoy the scenery. It was just breath-taking. The tour guide then said that we were getting ready to go down 310 steps and then in order for us to get to the bottom of the gorge we would have to go down 210 more steps. At that point it would up to us if we wanted to continue the hike. I realized that we were going to have to come back up those same 520 steps, but we had already paid our money so there was no turning back. As we continued our hike there were different overlook spots that you could stop at if needed or experience those “Awe” moments because of what you saw. At this moment I was feeling pretty good and the temperature wasn’t so bad because I picked up some heat as we walked. At each stopping point the tour guide would give us more insight on where we were and what we were looking at. I was thinking how cool this was and had we not seized the moment we would have missed out. We were coming close to our half way point before going down the 2nd flight of steps and though the tour guide had already told us what we would have to do to get there what I thought and what I saw before me threw me for a loop. We were at a suspension bridge that swayed back and forth which was about 800 ft above nothing but water and rocks. The closest I had ever come to a bridge like this was watching it on a movie and that is no comparison all to the real thing. I had never considered myself as being one to be afraid of heights. I have road on free falls, traveled on planes, literally helped build 6 homes from the ground up which all were 2 story homes accept one, but today I found myself afraid to go across. I didn’t think I was going to be able to do it. It felt like my stomach had dropped to the ground. I guess the fear showed on my face as someone grabbed my hand. He kept telling me your going to make it, you’re going to be ok, I got you. As we were going across the bridge I was asked was I ok or he would say just don’t look down, keep looking ahead. Why did he say that because what did I do,look down. We got half way across the bridge that swayed back and forth and we both gasped. He squeezed my hand and said you ok. Then he looked at me and said I got you. It was reassuring just to know that I wasn’t alone regardless how fearful I may have been. We finally made it across the bridge and we paused so that I could catch my breath. I looked back to see how far I had come. Then I was asked are you ready, as I took a deep breath I said, “Yes, let’s go” Sometimes in life we allow fear to keep us from making it across. The fear of I can’t do it, I can’t make it, what it looks like. I was reminded that no matter what the bridge or obstacle I have to cross, that I’m never alone. We were getting ready to go down 2nd flight of steps and the tour guide said that we could turn around and go back or we could move forward. At this point in life most people would turn around and go back or they become stagnated and unable to move forward. I heard that voice again as he grabbed my hand,let’s move forward. There were still areas where we could stop if needed, but this time there were less scenery parts so we decided to continue moving forward. When we finally got to the bottom of the gorge and OMG! You could look up and see how far down we were. In every direction you look it was breathing taking and the feeling I felt as I had exhaled because we had finally made it “there”. It was worth all that I had to go through to behold that on moment in time. I would have never experienced that moment had I gone back in the middle of the journey or never started at all. Through life’s journey we will experience many obstacles, trials and tribulations just to get to that one moment, but a lot of times we miss it because we are focused on what we are going through or experiencing at the time. Just like moments come, moments go and it was time to go back. I wasn’t ready to go, I want to stay in that moment forever. When I turn around and looked upward at all those steps that we now had to go back up I said, OMG in desperation as in “LORD HELP ME” As we started back up I could feel the weight, the pressure and the pain I my legs. I noticed that my breathing was a little heavy, I was having to take more stops this time going up and then when I came down. I was stumbling as I was struggling to make it up the next step. I was no longer worried about the scenery, I just wanted to get back to the top. I noticed that there were others who stopped along the way and we began to talk, share our experiences and encourage each other as we were going back up. I noticed the more that we kept going the harder it became, but at this point turning around would be pointless because there was no other way out than up. We got to the half way point “THE BRIDGE” that we now have to cross again. At the beginning we had an option to go back, but this time we only had the one option which was to move forward. This time I leaned more on the person that was with me and I felt more confident because I had already been this was before and I wasn’t alone. As we began the last flight of steps on the way up there were many times that I wanted to stop, but I keep getting pushed and coached to continue forward. We were at our last stopping point and as I looked at those steps and how I was feeling at the moment seemed impossible. The question was asked again, “are you ready to go?” I stood up, took a deep breath, grabbed his hand and we moved forward. We finally made it to the top. As I was breathing heavy, my heart beating fast I flopped down on the bench, lended back and in my mind I said, “I made it” I realized then there is a difference in going down the mountain than coming up the mountain. The tour guide was ready to take us to our final destination. As we walked around the corner to our to an over look and it was another breath-taking moment. We were at the very top when at one point we were only able to look up from it at a distance. I stood there in awe that I had finally made it and in spite of the challenges I had to encounter along the way I made it because I continued to move forward. In life you will come across paths that will seem uncertain, unstable and the way across seems long. While everything around you seems hopeless and the way down will kill you for sure and yet turning back has no promise of return. If you will just remember though at times you may feel lonely that you are never alone. God promised that he would never leave us nor forsake us, so continue to hold onto his unchanging hands.