When I was in the 10th grade, I embarked on a five-day canoeing trip down the Delaware River as part of an Adventure Week initiative at my high school.
We did the things normal teenagers do under such circumstances … like tipping each other’s canoes, waiting for friends to take a bathroom break and then floating their parked canoe down the river (not as funny as it sounds if you’re the one stranded), competing in late-night tent wrestling matches, stockpiling frogs in your friends’ tent, and stealing clothes/towels while people were in the shower (also not as funny if the naked victim gives chase and tries to tackle you).
So after four grueling days of paddling, swimming, camping, and the aforementioned hi-jinks, we reached our final destination a day early, eagerly anticipating a triumphant return to our comfortable beds back home.
Instead, we got a mountain.
The ensuing climb scarred me for nearly a decade. I was tired, weak, sun-burned, and in a negative frame of mind. The climb was long and hard. Never mind the breathtaking view of the Delaware Water Gap from the top of the mountain. I wanted to go home and rest, not exert the last of my energy exploring an incredibly large mound of dirt and rock. Not my idea of fun.
So I avoided any form of hiking for years until a friend from my church invited me on an excursion to check out some waterfalls. And then it all clicked. I enjoyed the challenge of scaling the rocky terrain. I reveled in the sights and sounds of God’s creation. I felt a sense of accomplishment at the top, and the stunning, landscape scene at the peak was a satisfying reward.
Climbing a mountain really can be fun.
Fast forward to last month at The World Race’s Awakening conference in Brasov, Romania. Our camp was set up at the base of towering mountains that loom over the city. So one afternoon (a day after being challenged to pursue our personal mountains or kingdom dreams), a small group of adventurers decided to go get their mountain.
We hiked a steep and slippery incline for 15 minutes before arriving at a clearing that provided a gorgeous view of the small town outside Brasov. 
It was a near-perfect scene. A reward worthy our short yet difficult trudge up 1/4 of the mountain.
It was a near-perfect scene. A reward worthy our short yet difficult trudge up 1/4 of the mountain.
We could have been satisfied with that blessing, but we wanted more.
So after a brief rest, we set our sights on the next slope … and then the next … and then the next. The top of each hill held a view more rewarding and more expanded than the one before it. The intense burning in our legs was numbed by the anticipation of another picturesque scene. We could have returned to camp at any stopping point with a feeling of accomplishment and worth … but we wanted more. We wanted the entire mountain and everything it had to offer.
After nearly two hours of climbing, we reached the top. I can’t describe in words how awesome that scene was. A picture does not do it justice. You could see for miles and miles … the town, the city, the fields and roads beyond the city, the mountains surrounding the fields beyond the city. Everything. We conquered it. We spent a lot of time and an incredible amount of energy to get to the top, and it was even more amazing than we had imagined.
We each have a personal mountain or dream that seems too daunting to attempt. So unfortunately, many never even reach the base. However, some begin the climb, and a special, determined few even reach the peak.
Maybe you dream of making a movie, or teaching the English language in China, or starting your own business, or publishing your own comic book. God has placed crazier ideas on peoples’ hearts, and they’ve succeeded with lesser resources than we have. They attacked their mountain head-on. The ascent may be treacherous, but God rewards us along the way. And the higher we reach, the greater our blessing.
Go get your mountain.
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14
