Do you like the mountains? Or do you prefer the beach? It seems like people usually prefer one over the other. As believers, we may prefer the beach over the spiritual mountains the Lord gives us to climb. I haven’t climbed many mountains, but this summer our family had the opportunity to climb one just shy of 14,000 ft. elevation. And I never knew how much that climb would spiritually apply to life. There are so many lessons mountain climbing can teach us. Do you have a mountain in front of you? Have you recently summited your mountain?
Climbing a mountain can be an arduous task. My kids were up for the task, so we began the climb. We did have a head start with ATVs, so we began our climb at 13,000 ft. elevation. Even though we only had about 1,000 feet to ascend, we still took frequent breaks along the way to rest and hydrate. One break came when we had achieved nearly 200 vertical feet of elevation. The view was amazing. But we went a little further and stopped again about 400 vertical feet higher and the view was even more spectacular. As we continued climbing, we could see a new landscape being uncovered that was not able to be seen from our starting point. Yet nothing could compare to the view from the summit! It was breathtaking!
Isn’t that what we often do in life? We begin to climb our “mountain” and we stop a little ways up and get distracted with the view. We need to keep going because the view at the top, from the summit, is incomparable and unrivaled. Don’t get me wrong – any view in the mountains is beautiful, but don’t be satisfied with the ride part way up. You’re not done! There’s more to see!
I am reminded of sanctification. Some people think being a missionary is the highest you can go. Or being a pastor is the most praiseworthy position. But that’s not true, because you are always going further. You don’t stop in the middle of the mountain just because there’s a break in the trees and you can see. There’s still further to go. You’re never done, until you’re done. If you’re still breathing, God still has a plan and purpose for your life. You never “arrive” while on this earth. You’re constantly growing in your walk and knowledge of the Lord. Getting stronger. Seeing new things. Overcoming new challenges. And encountering new people along the way.
Even though we had a head start at 13,000 ft. elevation, the climb still hurt. It takes strength, perseverance, and endurance. It’s also hard to breathe at times. But oh, the reward when we get to the top! If we will just continue to push on and keep our eyes fixed on the top! We need to keep our eyes open along the way because there may be people stopped up the hill from you. Are they coming or going? As you are climbing, breathlessly, are they joyfully descending with ease?
We must not be tricked into thinking the ascent is harder than the descent. The climb is not harder, just different. Why? We think it’s easy to walk downhill and that everyone can do it because there’s not much effort involved. For many, the hard work is in the climb. Yes, uphill is hard on your lungs; but downhill is hard on your legs. There’s still resistance and difficulty; it just affects a different part of the body. So we assume one is harder than another.
It is tempting to be arrogant when we walk downhill. We can breathe just fine, so we think we can be casual and comfortable. But we have to keep our eyes on the ground because there are rocks to trip over and loose soil that can cause us to slip and fall and lose our footing. Don’t get arrogant coming off your mountaintop! Lest you fall!
Deut. 4:9, “Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.”
And when you meet people going up, as you are traversing down, encourage them in their climb. Cheer them on. Pray for their safety. Pray they hold on, persevere, and reach the top. Pray as they see the view from the top that they will see the Lord in it all! It can be easy to get to the top and forget the arduous climb or be tricked into thinking you achieved your victory in your own strength. Who gave you that breath in your lungs? Who gave you that strong heart? Who helped your muscles endure the strain? The victory is always the Lord’s. Don’t forget to give Him the glory.
When you get back to the base of the mountain and you return to your daily life, don’t forget the climb. Don’t forget the view. Let it encourage you and motivate you to keep climbing. Keep on keeping on in the faith!
Deut. 8:10-14, “When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”
It won’t always be an uphill struggle. And it won’t always be a joyful downhill skip and hop. Sometimes God doesn’t move the mountain that’s in front of you, but He gives you the strength to climb it. Many times, we want the mountains moved because climbing is hard work that we would really prefer not to do. But if God didn’t allow us opportunities to exercise our faith by climbing few mountains, we would be weak Christians. We must work out our spiritual muscles of trust and faith in order to see the spiritual gains of maturity and wisdom.