Devotionals for the Heart: Life Lessons Learned from an Anniversary Trip

Worth It All
A devotional by Angela Anderson

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” –2 Corinthians 4:17 (NIV)

Last year, my husband surprised me with an anniversary gift that included a trip to San Francisco, California.

While we were there, we met another couple who suggested that we rent bikes, ride them across the Golden Gate Bridge, and then take the ferry back to San Francisco. My husband and I thought this idea was amazing, so we immediately set out to do it on the day of our anniversary.

The concierge at our hotel gave us instructions to get to the bike rental shop using public transportation. He explained that from the shop, it was a “nice bike ride” to the bridge. Neither of us were experienced bikers, but we assembled our backpacks and made sure we were prepared for the brisk weather in San Francisco.

We took the streetcar and the bus to the part of town that rented the bikes. We were told to ride to the paved bike path and follow it to the bridge. The excitement was building as we started on this journey. The weather was pleasant and as the clouds parted, we saw the beautiful bridge in the distance. I was very impressed with how flat and smooth the bike path was. After riding for about 30 minutes, the bridge was getting closer, but still seemed far off in the distance.

Suddenly, we were facing a steep inclination in the road. We both tried to pedal our way up the hill, but we had to get off our bikes and walk along side for the rest of the way up the hill. This happened several more times along the way to the bridge. I was getting tired, but I was still very much excited to complete this mission.

Finally, after surmounting yet another hill and getting turned around because of a road closure, we arrived at the Golden Gate Bridge! There was a roadway designated for those who dared to ride their bikes across the almost two-mile path. Although the bike path on the bridge was fenced in, we could still feel the vibration of the cars whizzing across the bridge. The wind gusts that threatened to toss us off our bikes were concerning, but we kept going. We looked over the railing and the view was breathtaking. The rocky landscape of trees and greenery lay perfectly across the San Francisco Bay and the rays from the sun glistened on top of the waves in the water. Before we knew it, we were at the end of the bridge, and we were looking forward to the ferry ride so that we could return to our hotel.

Once we exited the bridge on our bikes, we searched for the ferry. We found some people who were kind enough to point us in the right direction, down another bike path.

At the bottom of the hill, we saw a sign. Three more miles to the ferry in a town called Sausalito! There was no time to waste because the ferry was the last one for the day! We hurried and tried our best to pedal the uphill roads. We finally made it on the ferry with only a couple of minutes to spare. The ferry dropped us off at the pier and we rode our bikes two more miles back to our hotel. By that time, it was evening, and we were beyond exhausted.

In retrospect, I often wonder if I would have embarked on such an adventure if I had known all the details ahead of time. The view from the bridge was amazing, but I might have passed up the biking opportunity once I heard that it would take about 45 – 60 minutes to get to the bridge, then two miles to get across, three miles to the ferry, and then another two miles to get back to the hotel…not to mention the steep hills along the way, the gusty wind, and the stinging chill in the air.

Many of us want to experience something amazing but we are not willing to do what it takes to get there. God is trying to take us to a much higher level in our lives, but we want to know all the details beforehand and then determine whether it is worth all the trouble. Meanwhile, what He has in store for us is beyond our wildest dreams.

Furthermore, God is trying to get us to Heaven. Just to see His face one day outweighs any afflictions or momentary troubles that we experience on this Earth. I am so thankful that God’s plan for us is just on the other side of whatever we are going through, and it will be worth it all in the end.

Let’s Pray: Father, we are so thankful that You are such a loving God who always has our best interests at heart. Help us to remember that there is so much more for us beyond what we can see right now. We just need to trust you and believe that we will get to where you want us to be. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

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Author Bio:

Angela Anderson was born in Brooklyn, NY, and raised in NJ. She found her love for writing when she was in elementary school. She continued writing through high school, college, and into adulthood. 

Angela is the author of a devotional book titled, Just When I Thought I Knew God, and a children's book that is not yet published.

In 2021, Angela started writing articles for an online magazine called Christian Women Living, where she focuses on writing messages for mothers and sharing advice on parenting. In addition to this, Angela wrote a devotional that is featured in a book published by Proverbs 31 Ministries. The book title is Hope When Your Heart is Heavy.

Angela has a passion for inspiring and impacting others through her writing as well as speaking. She is the co-founder of Anchor Moms, a ministry to cure loneliness in Motherhood. Currently, this ministry meets via a group on Facebook.

Angela has been married to the love of her life, Duane Anderson, for 17 years. Together, they have two sons: Thomas (age 9) and Ryan (age 4). Angela’s favorite pastime is journaling, and she also enjoys spending quality time with her family. Her personal mission is to empower others to achieve their goals and dreams.

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Connect with Angela:
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/angela.thomasanderson
Facebook fan page for her devotional book, Just When I Thought I Knew God:
https://www.facebook.com/jwitikg/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelanderson1104/