Photo by Jenny Venturo
Staying near Mount Graham this week, I am reminded once again of how I—of how all of my family—was made for the mountains. And not just any mountains. Big, tall, snowy mountains with lots of grey, rocky crags. Mountains with no trees at the top. Mountains that United States-bound travelers can really only find in the American West.
I often think of how much mountains have taught us. They show us how amazing the Creator is. When we try to reach the summit of one, they help us learn to make tough decisions about when to turn back or when to keep going. This builds teamwork and helps us to understand and know each other. Climbing mountains also teaches us that enjoying the journey is more important than reaching the goal. Sometimes I get so caught up in my own personal ambition that I forget about the people around me, or about what really matters in the end. Slowly, through climbing mountains like those of the Rockies, I am learning to be content in whatever situation God puts me in (Phil. 4:11), and to count my bountiful blessings in every moment of the day, even if things don’t turn out the way I had hoped.
Mountains also remind us that lofty goals often require sweat, pain, and determination. Often, the Christian life is fraught with difficulties, challenges, pain, and toil, but we must press on in order to attain the prize (Phil. 3:14)—eternal life in Heaven, where we shall truly and fully know our Father and our Savior (Jn. 17:3).
That is the only goal worth striving for.
