Finding Hope in the Mudstash

Growing up in a family with four brothers and two sisters and being the second to the last child, I spent a good deal of time observing my siblings. Being the last to marry and start a family, I also observed my siblings’ relationships and struggles. We are now spread out across the county and don’t see each other very often. But when we do come together, it is as if no time has passed and we are able to fully enjoy each other’s company and begin right where we left off. I love that about our family.

My older sister, J, lives near me and we work together. My younger sister, K, currently lives about eight hours away. Before her family moved out here we lived on opposite sides of the country so years could go by without seeing each other. Us three girls have lived very different lives, have had a tremendous amount of struggles, and are all in different phases and situations in life.

Just over a week ago, K drove the eight hours to my house and all three of us girls participated in the Mudstash together. The Mudstash is a four mile obstacle course set on a ski slope in Southeast Indiana. It is very challenging but not as competitive as other mud obstacle courses out there. This was my sixth time completing the Mudstash and J and K’s second time.

All of us have been struggling with various health and life issues and weren’t sure how we would do on this journey, but we all felt it important to our growth. We all felt a need to do this course together as sisters and friends. Because of our weakened state, we all agreed that we would walk and not worry about how long it took us, which took a lot of pressure off of us.

My first Mudstash was completed shortly after the one year anniversary of me leaving my abusive marriage. It was a symbol of me taking back my power and my life. Every year I have participated in the Mudstash to remind myself of what I have been through and how far I have come. I look forward to it all year long and hope to continue the tradition for many years to come.

Last year I did the Mudstash all by myself. I had someone waiting for me at the end but did the whole course alone. That was a very interesting and positive experience. This year, though, meant so much more to me as my sisters and I worked together to make it to the end.

There were a few obstacles that were so challenging that we literally had to push and pull each other over mud hills because there was no way to do it alone. Once we were over, we even reached back to help those behind us. We took no thought about the time, only about finishing. As we got more than halfway done, J asked several times, “Why is this fun?” It was so hard at times, and yet it was fun and we wanted to be doing it.

There were over fifty obstacles ranging from mud pits, to logs in the path, to mud hills, to rocky streams, and many other things. What was interesting was when we realized that the hardest part wasn’t the obstacles, but the stretches of walking in between. When we came up to an obstacle, all of our energy would be focused on how we would accomplish the challenge before us. We would get a rush of adrenaline and no longer worried about how far it was to the end, just how we were going to get through this new challenge. During the stretches of the journey where there were no obstacles, we would get tired, feel our aches and pains, and wonder how much farther it was to the finish line. When we finally crossed the finish line, we were covered in mud, sore and bruised, but so high on the accomplishment of completing the course.

As we walked, we discussed how much this experience of the Mudstash was like life. When challenges come into life there is something to focus on and worry about. When there are no big challenges, life can get monotonous and it can get difficult to stay focused and strong in our faith.

I am reminded of the scripture in Romans chapter 5. Paul says, starting in verse 3:

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us.

I can’t say that I have gotten to the point of glorying in tribulation, but I can say that I see this progression that Paul described. Tribulation has the potential to bring patience, which creates experience, which leads to hope. And that hope comes because of the love of God that we experience in our hearts because of the Holy Ghost. This year doing the Mudstash, I felt that process manifesting. Through the four mile muddy journey, I was able to find a feeling of hope. Hope that, though the path is difficult, painful, and dirty, there is an end, there are loved ones waiting with open arms to receive us. And through it all, a loving Father in Heaven is watching us stumble along, sending others/angels to push and pull us through the difficult challenges and supporting us all the way through.

I imagine that when we finish this life it will in some ways be like crossing the finish line of the Mudstash; we will be battered, bruised, and covered in the muck of life, but we will be so thrilled to have made it to the end that it will all feel worth it and we may even ask, “Is that all I had to do?”

I am so happy to have shared this experience with my sisters. I love them as well as all of my family. My daughter made us tshirts to wear during the Mudstash. On them she wrote: “Side by side or miles apart, sisters will always be connected by the heart.” This is so true and I am so grateful for my family and the chance we have to make this journey of life together.