Hiking the Valley

It is safer

to sit

with the crowd

comfortable

in the setting sun

content to talk

about what might be

on the other side of the valley

of the shadow

but strength is only built

by lifting the weight

of truth

and walking the narrow road

the crowd has so many reasons

to avoid

but the strength

we gain by walking

through the rocks

thorns and pain

is what we will need to climb

the mountain

waiting at the other end of the trail

and when we set our eyes

on a higher goal

we don’t even miss

all that we’ve left behind