Sunday Snippets: Climbing Mountains

Psalm 94:17-18 "Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. When I said, my foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up."

Today I went to visit a friend who has a mountain behind her house! :) Not just a hill, but an actual, huge mountain. Those of you who have seen the mountains in the Wenatchee/Cashmere area know what I'm talking about. 

I have really no mountain climbing experience, but I do have a rather over developed sense of adventure, so I convinced my poor friend to go to the top with me. :P (She normally leaves that to her brother. I now know why.) Anyhoo, we at first only planned on going up to a rock outcropping, but once we got there, we decided to be explorers and press onward. It was one of the most strenuous hikes I've ever done! We got all the way to several hundred yards from the top, when it got truly unsafe to go on...there were sheer rock slopes covered in loose dirt that would simply catapult you down the mountain face if you stepped on them. :P Anyway, we were very thrilled that we got that far, and even more thrilled that we were able to eventually get back down without the aid of a search and rescue team and/or helicopter! I want to share a couple of things I noticed today while on the mountain that I think can carry over into everyday life, as we "climb mountains"; a.k.a. try to reach goals, conquer fears or difficulties, or gain victory over certain sins.

1. The farther you get, the more rewarding it is.

As you get further and further up the mountainside, the view gets more and more spectacular. By the time Jenny and I got to the top, it looked like we were in a plane; we could see all the shapes and colors of the patchwork of orchards, forests, mountains, and houses beneath us. The more you trust God and press forward by faith, the more you will want to keep going as you see His provision.

2. The farther you get, the more difficult it is. 

This may seem contradictory to my last point; hang with me, because it really isn't. ;) The higher up we got, at least on this mountain, the steeper and more difficult the terrain was. Add to that the thinner air up higher, and it gets pretty fatiguing. The more you strive to live for God, the more Satan is going to try to drag you back down. You can't let your guard down as you near the top...in fact, you must increase your vigilance!

3. Sometimes pretty things can be a distraction and hindrance.

As we climbed, we saw hundreds and thousands of clumps of wildflowers. While they were absolutely breathtaking, they seriously impeded our progress on the way down, because they obstructed our view of footholds, and were actually really slippery themselves. If we turn away from striving after Godliness to look at the world and what it has to offer, it is not going to help us get the victory! Worldly things can block your view of what God's next step for you is, as well as stop you from following Him altogether.

4. Sometimes a change of direction is necessary.

I mentioned the dangerous rocky areas earlier...at one point during our climb, (as I had taken the role of trail blazer at that particular time), I tried to climb up a sloping rock face instead of going around, but ended up just slipping around and scaring myself when I couldn't find solid footing again. This affected the rest of our climb because we realized we needed to avoid the rocks completely. It would have been much shorter to go up the rocks, but also much more dangerous...one or both of us could have been hurt. Sometimes in life God turns us away from something that we think we need or want, in order to protect us from danger. If we push past His warning signs in our life, we are in a grave position...being out of God's will is never a good place to be. If God changes your direction, don't always take it as a bad thing. He is leading you towards what is best for you.

Though this ended up being a little long for a Sunday Snippet, I hope my analogies made some measure of sense to you all. ;) Have a wonderful day in The Lord's House, and a great week to come! Keep pushing to reach the mountain tops! :)

Mykaela