The top of this mountain was like nothing I have seen before. One on side of the mountain you could look out over top of Kota Bharu, Malaysia. The other side of the mountain you could see a lake with palm trees around it and if you looked straight in-between the two there was another mountain ahead with beautiful trees and big rocks surrounding it. It was absolutely breath taking!
As we started walking down the mountain God kept relating this climb to “conquering mountains” in our lives. Now stay with me, as I will try my best to explain what He had been revealing to me.
Taxi drivers told us this hike was too dangerous for us ahead of time. They didn’t think we could do it. Whether they took a look at us and knew we weren’t hikers I am not sure. But they seemed pretty determined not to take us. Deciding to come on the race was a massive decision that I had to think through and analysis before deciding to do it. I had a lot of questions of concern back home. Some thought I was crazy to quit my job (career) that I only had for 1 year. Some thought I was insane to join an American organization that I never truthfully knew much about other then the website and past bloggers. Others were just surprised I was going to abandon everything I had and move overseas to live out of whatever I could fit and carry in a 95L backpack. Honestly, if my child told me they were going to do that I too would give them the same questions of concern. But for both situations: going on the Race and climbing the mountain I had a peace about my decision (Philippians 4:7- “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”). I knew they were going to be hard. I knew I was going to be challenged. I knew I would come out of both situations changed and that’s what I wanted. I wanted to be changed. I wanted to conquer that mountain. I wanted to move to Asia for a year because I knew that this is where I needed to be at this particular moment in my life. I just knew.
When we started climbing the mountain it was at a fast pace we wanted to keep up with Ben. But we were soon able to see that if we kept going at that pace we were we would be heading back down that mountain very soon. Ben saw us struggling and told us, “It’s okay we can take lots of breaks we are here to enjoy the scenery so lets go slow”. Our culture is so fast pace, we are always running around trying to get everything done on that little list we put on our phones. When it comes down to our hardships in life we then want to rush the process and hurry it up so we can get away with the pain and move on already. But God wants us to move slowly, learn, catch your breath, ask questions and then take your next step forward. How do you learn if you rush the progress? Even if it is a hard time to get through to the end it will be a beautiful process.
When we came up to the first rope to conquer the small mountain fear came as we had to climb this mountain with a rope that had only knots in it for grip and you weren’t attached to anything. Ben would encourage us, telling us he would show us were to put our feet. He said after this mountain there are 3 more and then your done! We never thought to ask how big are the 3 mountains ahead of us that we have to climb. Then again if we knew how big they were before hand we would have never continued climbing. Because at that moment we couldn’t handle what was in front of us. We would have turned around right there because of fear. Its like with our walk with God, we already know we are going to have challenging times (1 Thessalonians 3:3). We are going to come across hardships but we don’t ever know what they are. But if we knew ahead of time would we want to keep walking forward or would we be to scared to fight them? (1 Corinthians 10:13- He will never give us more then we can bear)
Throughout the hike Ben kept finding small crystals that had fallen off the rocks that were see through. He would collect them and give them to us. He would find wild berries and told us to try them. He even showed us and would teach us about the leaves in the bush. Along the way we were able to see all this beauty. But we would have never been able to see these things if we never continued with the climb. God started sharing with me about how this can be the same with life as well. Hardships may come but there is always something so beautiful at the end of it. You will learn something so valuable that you would have never been able to see if you wouldn’t have gone through that specific experience.
When we made it to the biggest hill we looked at it and there was an ounce of fear in me. Thinking there is no way I am climbing that without being attached to something. I could have taken the exit route if I wanted to. Its not like I was being pushed to climb it. But realizing I have already walked 1.5 hours I need to make it to the top. I can do this because I just conquered more then half this mountain already. I never realized this whole time my heart was being changed on this hike. I was being prepared for this moment, climbing all those small mountains to get to the big one! If I would have seen this at the start I would have said, “nope, bye!” and sprinted the other direction. But once I knew how far I came and that Ben helped us through the entire trail thus far I knew he wouldn’t let us down now either. So we started going up! Our lives are pretty similar to this. If God showed us some of our “mountains” in life we are going to have to climb before we are ready for them we would be to terrified to go any further. Why? Because we simply aren’t ready for them. But if we are focusing on one small mountain at a time he prepares our heart for what is or may come. God never pushes us to continue through something we find difficult. He will give us a way out, if we want it. But what will we learn out of taking the exit and not conquering the mountain face on. I guarantee you will fall more and more in love with God if you say YES and just push through what He is giving you. But he never makes you say “Yes” to the task if you aren’t willing to take it.
Psalm 55:22- “Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken”.
