Last weekend I climbed a mountain. Well…maybe more like a large hill…I don’t often climb mountains, you see, so I was a tad out of shape. I was hiking with three friends, two of which were arguably worse off than me. We complained the whole way up. Some of the steps between stones were as big as me (although that’s not an exceedingly hard accomplishment) and it was constantly uphill. Good-natured complaining gave way to real distress and distress almost gave way to defeat. We truly didn’t think we could climb the last set of unforgiving stone stairs. We had run out of water, energy, and motivation. Luckily, my friend Brittany forced us to keep moving, even helping to pull us up at some parts. Perhaps worst of all, the trail was completely encompassed by trees. Although we had heard the view from the top was worth it, we genuinely began to doubt, as all we could see were trees. The minutes felt like years but finally, finally we reached the top.
Guys……it was so worth it. So, so, so, so, sooo worth it. It was rolling hills and valleys and mountain peaks and beauty. I could imagine God looking over the earth that was like Play-doh and gently making every mountain and valley with His hands. I couldn’t have been happier that I had pushed through to the top.
The point of this blog post is not to tell you about my hiking triumphs, however. As I pondered the whole expedition, I began to ask myself a question. Wasn’t climbing that mountain like our spiritual journeys? Sometimes we’re completely unprepared for the trials. Often times we complain. Many times we’re distressed, and even on our best days we want to give up entirely. We want to know there’s a finish line, but it’s hard to have faith when you can’t see the end for yourself.
So have faith, friends. Have mountain-climbing faith. Listen to the ones who push you to keep going, encourage the ones who are falling behind, and always, always remember that it IS worth it. It is written in Psalm 121:
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber.”
Even on the hardest trails and through the toughest trials, He never leaves your side and He never lets you fall. Thank you Jesus! Have a blessed week, guys! 🙂
