Photo by Paul Venturo
It was our Everest. It was less than half the height of Mount Everest, and the winds were less intense. However, Marble Mountain (13,266 ft), in the Sangre De Cristo range of Colorado, was our Everest.
We have been hiking for years, and up to this point our tallest summit was 12,878 ft. The weather predicted gale force winds (> 70 mph) for the afternoon, and we knew we’d face melting snow. We thought if we started early enough we could avoid the strongest winds and the softest snow. We started our ascent about 3:30 am with clear skies, cold temperatures, and calm winds. We had begun at a brisk pace, but we had gradually slowed as the incline became steeper.
Once we were above the trees, we began crawling. The gale force winds had arrived earlier than forecasted and were knocking us over. We kept moving forward, bundled up for warmth, shoe spikes for traction, and ice axes for stability. Keeping our eyes on the goal, we finally reached our summit, conquering our Everest!
Reaching a summit pales in comparison to following Jesus. Clothed in Christ’s righteousness, with prayer to give us traction and God’s Word for stability, we must keep our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2). So run if you can, walk if you will, crawl if you must, but never, ever turn back - don’t even look back, for “the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13). “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Used by permission. All rights reserved.