It was a bit of a crazy idea. A winter walk in the Peak District. There and back in one day – 5 hours driving with a 3-4 hour adventure in the middle. A quick 10 minutes on a well-known shopping app and I was waiting for a walking guide and a map of the area to arrive.

The book contained 40 walks, yet number 19 caught my eye. Only 4 ½ miles with an estimated time of 3 hours. That should work for the different ages and levels of walking enthusiasm in the family. Best of all, we’d take in the two hills of the dragon’s back range – Parkhouse and Chrome Hill.

Destination reached, we started our walk around 10:15am. First up was Parkhouse Hill. The guide did say it wasn’t a walk for wet conditions and if you didn’t think you could make it up you could skirt around the side. It was dry, and we’ve climbed steeper before so up we went.

Then came the descent. Initially a gentle incline but ‘hang on, where did the path go?’ We turn a corner, and the hill just seems to fall away in front of us. Too steep to walk down, we had to manage on all fours.

The limestone was wet from several days’ rain and slippery under foot, so every move required a cautious transfer of weight as we checked we were on something solid. It wouldn’t have taken much to slip and tumble and none of us fancied a trip to the local A&E.

When life gets difficult, where’s the firm footing? Where can we turn for help? That’s a question I’ve been thinking about today. This morning I read one of the Psalms in the Bible. It opens with this question, ‘Where does my help come from?’ Here’s the answer the writer gives:

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:2

Over the years I’ve been a Christian, I’ve found God is someone I can turn to. I’ve found that he is a rock I can lean on even in the most difficult times I’ve faced. What about you, where’s your firm footing?

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