On Saturday part of my squad and I got to climb up a volcano. We arrived at a national park at about ten in the morning; we got all checked in, suited up and headed to the beginning of the trail. As we approached the bottom of the volcano and I looked up at how far I had to go, I started getting nervous. I wasn’t sure if I could complete the climb. Not only was the path pretty steep, it was also covered in all sizes of rocks just waiting to trip me up. I didn’t want to be that person that had to be carried back down the mountain on someone’s back because she fell halfway up. I pushed my worries aside and started up anyway, but the further along I got the more anxious I felt. I was staring down at the trail beneath my feet trying my best not to fall and all I could see was gray ash and black rocks. When I got tired of that dismal view I would glance up at the summit towering above me and get discouraged all over again. All I could see was the struggle I was facing and the people passing me on the way up.
When I made it to the halfway point, my whole perspective changed. I stopped to grab a drink of water and happened to look around me. The view took my breath away! The progress I had made allowed me to see in all directions for miles. God’s creation was stretched out below me in all of its splendor. I could see where the hardened lava and ash ended and the growth began again. It all looked so green, a stark contrast to the ground I was standing on. It’s hard to put it into words; that view was exactly what I needed to push on and finish the climb.
I started up the final half of the trail and couldn’t help but think about how this hike was very similar to how we see life. Often times we are stuck looking at the ground that we are standing on, the struggles that we are going through, the dismal view of trials and tribulations. Or we are stuck looking up at the mountain we have left to climb, the people who seem to be passing us with ease, and how far we have left to go. Neither of these views are very encouraging or life-giving. However as we get trapped in these places of discouragement, where we feel like giving up and heading back down the mountain, God desires for us to look out, to look around. He wants us to see His works and His beauty. He calls us to focus on the things He has done for us in the past and trust that He will get us up the mountain. He will get us to the top.
I finally reached the peak with my friends. We got to take some pretty awesome pictures, none of them do the beauty justice, but we took them anyway! After we all soaked in the views, we each took our toboggans and slid back down the mountain we spent an hour climbing. It was so fun, but it was over way too fast! Isn’t that just like life, too? Sometimes you are trudging up mountains, struggling to continue on. Sometimes you are standing triumphantly at the top, taking in the glory. And sometimes you are careening down, all you can do is laugh, enjoy the ride, and hope you don’t crash. Friends this life is a wild ride, embrace where you are, and don’t forget to stop every once in a while to take in the views.
