Mountains

I am from Colorado so I have a deep appreciation for mountains.  They are truly magnificent and just as with anything, no two are exactly alike.  And even though there are mountain ranges named Twin Sisters - they are still just slightly different.  For me, I get nervous and excited right before I start to climb a trail because you don't quite know what to expect.  And even when you climb the same trail, you are often faced with different conditions.

After walking the trails of The Rocky Mountains, I had to laugh at my 3 experiences with my children up a small little trail at Miracle Mountain in Pennsylvania.  I laugh because in comparison to the Rockies - these are speed bumps.  Anyway, during my children's 6th grade year, they go with their entire class for 3 days to this wonderful camp where they learn to work together as a team.  One of the 3 days they climb a little trail.  The first time I did it, it had flooded in the area, so little cracks in the earth were swollen with water and we had to trek across running water.  The second time I climbed it, the temperature outside was about 95 and I had a blown out knee that I had surgery scheduled for 10 days later.  The final time, I knew it was my final time climbing and I was able to try to enjoy each moment as we climbed.  The point is, each time was completely different.  The funny part of the trail is just when you think you have reached the summit, you turn a corner and there is an even larger path upwards.  I mean straight upwards. 

(Miracle Mountain at the base of the climb)

It is straight up on rocks that are constantly shifting beneath your feet.  You can visualize the top but cannot quite see it.  Instead, you have to keep focused on where you walk and make sure you don't slip.  If you stop along the trail, it becomes harder to keep moving.  If you do not climb, you miss out on the victory at the top as well as the rewards around the corner.  In this case, around the corner, there were awesome rocks everyone could climb and enjoy a little breeze.  One girl on our final time up the hill was an unlikely candidate to make it up the hill.  She is overweight and struggles with some other health issues.  We all gave her the option of not going up the mountain and after long debate, she decided to try.  She walked joyfully through the easier sections and took a deep breath and plowed through to get through the difficult parts.  I was at the summit when I heard her classmates cheering her on to continue up the mountain.  They walked with her, they walked behind her and some walked ahead of her to help keep her focus moving forward.  That was worth the trip alone! 

Our climb is full of majestic views and glorious paths if we just step forward to walk.  There are moments of steep and very rocky paths and other times of valleys that are easy to just leisurely walk along and enjoy the surroundings.  Walking the path is the first step and walking the path with friends is another.  As we enjoy the summit, we still need to keep walking. 

Today's passage:  Isaiah 49:11  I will turn all my mountains into roads,
   and my highways will be raised up.

What is the road in this passage?  How does God supply you with what you need to get on the road and stay on the road?

Our path that we walk is often rocky with the ground ever shifting beneath.  I truly believe God provided us friends and other believers to help keep cheering us on.  They can walk along side of us but they cannot walk the road for us.  They can rejoice with us but cannot pull us up to the summit.  It is up to us to set one foot in front of the other and keep walking.  Those friends and people God has put in our lives are there for a reason to help raise us up but ultimately, it is between us and God to walk the road together. 

Jesus is the road and God paved the way with Him. God gives us communion with one another to help stay on the trail and keep moving forward.  Who is in your life that can help you keep moving forward?  Regardless of the size of the mountain or speed bump, we need to keep climbing.

So, while I am not a Miley Cyrus fan.  Her song, "The Climb" has some very appropriate aspects here.  I will leave you with her lyrics. 

The Climb
Songwriters: Alexander, J; Mabe, J;I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going
And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on

'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby
It's all about, it's all about the climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa


© HOPELESS ROSE MUSIC; VISTAVILLE MUSIC;