Lessons from a Mountain Climb
Life experiences teach me tough lessons. The other day I had one of them. My sister and I decided to “climb” Mt. Sugarloaf, which rises over 4200 feet above sea level. The fact that the conference center had a chair lift that could carry us within 1000 feet of the summit, made the decision easy. I started out with enthusiasm. Within an hour I discovered that my positive attitude stemmed from the fact I could use someone else’s power to get near the summit, namely the motorized chair lift.Once my sister and I disembarked seven-eighths of the way up, we started to climb. Within the first five minutes the task kicked my heart into beating too fast, and I became winded. Within fifteen minutes I discovered I would have to take the strenuous climb in increments, if I were to succeed at all. So I breathed deeply, walked for three minutes, and then rested, and repeated this for a good thirty minutes. First lesson: When doing a difficult task, during which I was the source of power (not the chair lift), my enthusiasm got challenged quickly. While I didn’t like to do this, I had to admit my limitations and consider their consequences.As we ascended, I practiced a method from my camp years: When climbing a hill (or mountain) I just watched my feet go one step in front of the other, and did not look up. This kept the difficulty of climbing a “steep hill” in perspective. I didn’t see the steepness, only the path in front of me. So the task didn’t seem so hard. Second lesson: to keep going, I needed to walk out my journey one step at a time, and not focus on the difficulties ahead of me or the steepness of the path.My sister offered me water every few minutes and reminded me to stay hydrated. I kept drinking water, and this became my third lesson: during stress, keep drinking. In this experience of climbing I drank water. In my spiritual challenges I need to keep drinking in the Holy Spirit.On the trail, we faced dangerous footing. To navigate safely and avoid the slippery scree, I spotted solid rocks and trained myself to step firmly from one rock to another. Then I shifted my weight forward, and repeated anchoring, standing firm, and then moving ahead. Fourth lesson: step forward for the Lord only after you are sure your next step is on a solid foundation. The Word of God, of course, is our solid foundation, and Jesus is our Rock.My knees began to ache because of the strain of the hike, particularly on our descent. Allison tied kerchiefs around her knees, which shifted the pressure from her ligaments to the artificial support of the tied kerchiefs. This helped her. I didn’t. As a result my knees got sore and swollen. Fifth lesson: If need be, use supports to accomplish the task. When we arrived several hundred feet below the summit, fatigue hit us hard. Sadly we had ran out of time to keep pushing towards the tippy top. (I had to return to the base of the hill to do a workshop.) So we gave up our goal and told ourselves all we wanted to do was reach the southeast summit, not the bald top, which was another quarter mile higher. Sixth lesson: I refused to be disappointed by our failure. We simply redefined our expectations. We both knew that God still loved us regardless of our lack of success. He loves us because of who we are, and not for the goals we have accomplished.Need I add, that climbing a mountain or undertaking any challenge, is much more fun when you do it with a friend? Seventh lesson: Joining with someone to encourage and be supported when facing difficult times makes the experience memorable and enjoyable.
Can anyone relate to my mountain climbing experience? What has God shown you in that time?
