A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to climb my first mountain and reach my first summit. A friend of mine talked me into climbing Black Mountain. It was my first ascent up a steep incline, more an extreme hiking experience than climbing a sheer face; it provided great insight to my Christian walk.
The “climb” consisted of hiking up a steep and very narrow trail composed of loose rock, dirt, sometimes mud, and often a path divided by a large crevice causing you to be careful where each foot was placed as you made the ascent. Winding up the side of the mountain, essentially following a trail probably created by water running down the side over years of rain and other weather. The result was a twisting ever-steeper path that eventually led to the summit of the mountain with vistas you could never experience by staying below on level ground.
My friend proved to be an able guide pointing out areas where footing was difficult and stopping whenever the need arose to catch my breath and get my bearings. I was pleasantly surprised by my ability to actually make the climb and at the same time quickly saw many life lessons as we worked our way up to the summit.
I learned that while looking up at the summit as we were climbing kept me focused on the climb but often caused me to lose sight of the path and my footing. I realized I couldn’t make the climb with my attention focused on anything else but the path we were following. As we got higher and higher and the view got more and more spectacular I had to stop myself from looking at the panoramic view and re-focus on the path or I’d again lose my footing.
Approaching the summit I found myself exhilarated by the sensation of being closer and closer to achieving my goal of making a successful climb, and then my friend pointed out that in mountain climbing reaching the summit is only half the journey…you also have to make a successful descent.
Arriving at the summit was, as I had imagined it would be, a feeling of accomplishment and a sense of awe at all that God had made when He created the earth, and how beautiful it was to see it from a mile above of the surface. Having spent only a few minutes at the top we began the descent and it proved as challenging, perhaps more so, as the climb.
I found that if I wasn’t as careful going down as I was going up I quickly discovered the need to control the descent or risk falling off the trail, and again the need to keep focused on the placement of my feet with each step. In both the climb and the descent paying attention to the trail beneath my feet and the path immediately ahead were paramount if I was to be successful and complete the journey without injury. Having successfully completed the climb here’s what I learned from the experience.
1) All of the physical fitness and other preparation I had participated in before the climb prepared me physically to actually make the climb. 2) A guide is indispensable for your first climb. Without my friend to guide me I would have easily become injured or gotten lost. His reassurances, knowledge of the landscape and the hazards made the trip not only possible but successful. 3) To climb any mountain successfully you need to stay focused on the path and watch your footing carefully. 4) The experience of making the climb was as meaningful as reaching the summit itself as the amount of time spent on the summit was a very small percentage of the time it took to make the climb, and finally 5) if you don’t take the first step you’ll never reach the summit.
From this I’m sure you can see as I did the application to our Christian walk. Christ through the Holy Spirit is our guide. He knows the trail we need to walk, he knows the training we need and he knows how to guide us there successfully, but we need to be willing to take the first step and to stick to the trail he leads us on. For us as Christians God has also provided a mountain climbing guide book His Holy Word with which he prepares us for the journey.
He tells us, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path.” It was only when I focused on the path and the placement of my feet that I was able to continue the climb and succeed in the endeavor. The same is true in our Christian walk, being always aware of the path God has planned out for us and keeping our feet on the path is the key to living the successful Christian life. Paul command us to “keep your feet shod with the Gospel”, it is the only true way we can stay on the right path. Christ as well teaches us about how narrow our path is and how difficult it is to find. “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
Reaching the summit in our Christian walk requires our complete attention to God’s leading and His Word. It will at times be challenging, almost impossible it may seem, and yet in several places the Bible tells us that enduring the trials of this world, sticking to the path no matter how narrow or steep, and reaching the summit we will receive “the crown of life.” For the Christian reaching the summit is really only the beginning from there we’ll spend eternity in a “new heaven and a new earth” and “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.”
We, however, need to take that first step, placing all of our faith and trust solely in Him. Once we do He will illuminate our path and be with us every step of the way – but we need to keep to the path. Following Christ is not easy but it’s worth every step we take. I pray today that you’ll commit to following Him. He stands ready to lead each of us; He has a plan specifically for you and for me. While the climb may seem uncertain at times rest assured He’s right there with us. Keep climbing, the summit awaits – be faithful in following Him and He will be faithful in getting you there.
May God watch over you as you make your climb and may all of us be found faithful, reaching the summit, may God say to each of us “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
In Christ
Wes
