Neither Snow nor Rain nor Heat . . .

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night
stays these couriers from the swift completion
of their appointed rounds

As the unofficial motto of the United States Postal Service points out, mail carriers cannot wait for ideal conditions to do what they need to do. I can certainly identify with this statement. Not a whole lot of my work outdoors with camera equipment is done on sunny, blue-sky, low-humidity, 72-degree-Fahrenheit days between the hours of 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM.

SNOW: A recent heavy snowfall around Rock Creek Lake
made hiking a challenge in this area.

RAIN: The altitude of 12,000 feet here was not a problem.
But the raindrops that were falling gave me a pretty good soaking.

HEAT: I hiked up a hill just east of the Visitor Center for this
shot taken at 7:20 PM. The triple-digit temperatures earlier
in the day had now cooled to a balmy 93 degrees Fahrenheit.

GLOOM OF NIGHT: This photograph was one of several
25-second exposures taken between 2:00 and 3:00 AM.

COLD: Jean and I were out in 20-degree weather for about an hour.
Even with wool gloves, I temporarily lost the feeling in my
fingertips. I had to look to make sure my index finger
was on the shutter release button before pressing down.

WIND: On this 6,214-foot summit, the wind was so fierce
I had to hold onto my tripod to keep it from blowing over.

During his life on earth, Jesus dealt with disciples who didn’t understand him; with church and government leaders who wanted him gone; with family members who thought he was mentally unbalanced. And, with the sin of every person who has ever lived or whoever will live.

I need to remember how Jesus modeled perseverance through much greater challenges than all the temporary inconveniences I will ever encounter.

. . . let us run with endurance
the race God has set before us.

– Hebrews 12:1b (NLT)

Let perseverance finish its work
so that you may be mature and complete

– James 1:4a (NIV)