Going the Distance

One of the most pleasant floats I take at Hillsdale Lake is up Bull Creek at the northwest corner of the lake. I have paddled this stretch of Bull Creek the past three years. Each year I paddle farther and farther up this major tributary that feeds Hillsdale Lake. The goal is to paddle to the I 35 bridge. The last two years I paddled to within two miles of the bridge before coming to a strainer. A strainer is tress that have fallen into the creek and make passage difficult or impossible. The water was high this year and so I made it through several strainers until I came to within a mile of the bridge and met another strainer. I had already been on the water a good amount of time and was a little tired with the thought of the return trip, so I headed back to the put in. One of these days I am going to go the distance. I think I will probably make the trip with another person, pack some lunch, and start out early in the morning and finally reach the goal! On this particular trip I saw some herons, western meadowlarks (Kansas state bird), a lot of carp feeding at the surface, and a mother duck and her ducklings that kept the water stirred up trying to get away from me. It was a very pleasant day on the water. I want to tie this idea of 'going the distance' into a spiritual illustration. I believe the Bible encourages us to go the distance. " Without faith it is impossible to please God." Coll. 3;23 says, "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men". I believe God's will is for us to put our whole hearts into serving Him and "go the distance". One of these days I am going to reach that I 35 bridge!