Lessons from Mountain Climbing Pt. 3

Continued from July 27, 2012:

I learned one more lesson on the mountain.  We were on a mountain, climbing up, up, up, but there were other mountains all around, surrounding us.  We could have chosen to climb one of those mountains, but we didn't.  We climbed the one with the refuge halfway up the mountain. 

There are many mountains in life that we could choose to climb, and they will all be difficult, but not all of them will be the right mountain.  Not all of them will have a refuge, a haven where we can stop and rest.  That's why it's so important to stay close to the stream, so we know which mountains to tackle, so that we won't keep climbing and then find that we have no place of rest, nothing to do but keep climbing toward a goal that God never intended for us to try and reach.

If we stay close to the stream, we can expend our strength on the right goals, being satisfied by the source of water ever by our side.  And at times there may even be a bright meadow full of fruit waiting once we pass through the trees.

Lessons from Mountain Climbing Pt. 2

Continued from July 27, 2012:

When I was on the path up the mountain and it came very close to the rushing rivulet, the sound of the water running on the rocks was very loud.  However, it only took a few steps away from the stream before the noise faded.  The more steps away I took, the harder it was to hear, and finally, even though I was maybe only 15m away, I couldn't hear it at all, even though I could still easily see it. 

I think this is a great illustration for our relationship with God.  If we always stay close to the stream of Living Water, we will be able to hear God's voice and determine His will, but if we take only a few steps away, His voice will become harder to hear and easier to ignore.  The farther away we go, the truer this becomes.  But, there is still grace, because we can still see the stream.  We can still turn and walk towards the stream, to the place of sweet communion with God. 

Lessons from Mountain Climbing Pt. 1

An excerpt from my journal entry from July 27, 2012:

Yesterday I climbed a mountain, not all the way, but pretty high up, almost to the glacier at its peak.  Because there was a glacier at the top, water continually flows down the mountain.  Most of the climb up was near a very fast-flowing stream.  Past the tree line there were gorgeous meadows filled with wildflowers and berry bushes.  Climbing up a mountain is hard, no doubt about it.  Stamina and strength are both required, but most of all mental fortitude, because as one ascends, the task gets harder, and in order to get to the summit, concentration on the goal, rather than on the difficulties of getting there, is absolutely necessary. 

I realize that climbing a mountain is a lot like life, only condensed into a much smaller period of time.  If we concentrate on the struggles of the path, and how tired our muscles and lungs are, we'll never summit.  But if we keep looking up to the top, and remembering how amazing it will be to reach the summit, we will have the strength to go on, keep on climbing, and achieve whatever goal we have set for ourselves.