Hello,
“It’s an easy hike,” so said the director of the continuing ed event
that I am attending in the Rockies.
So, last Thursday I joined 16 others at the bottom of a mountain called
“Twin Sisters”, ready to saunter my way from our beginning point of 9000 feet
to the peak at 11,500.
I was lied to. It was not
easy. No further than the first
five minutes, and I was feeling my lungs call for more oxygen. But with the words, “It is an easy
hike,” ringing in my ears, I figured that I had simply gotten off to a bad
start. Maybe I started off too
fast. Or maybe it was steepest at
the beginning of the trail.
Unfortunately, as I pressed on, even at a slower pace, the incline did
not diminish nor did my exhaustion.
So, for the next 2 ½ hours I plodded my way up the mountain side…along a
rock strewn path that turned my ankles to the right and left, through pine
trees infiltrated by swarms of mosquitoes who feasted on my oxygen deprived
blood, and sipping small tastes of water out of my water bottle in hopes of
fending off the effects of the altitude.
Of the 17 of us who began the trek, 10 of us made it the 3-mile path to
the top. Before you slap me too hard on my back with congratulations, you
should know that the ones who did not reach the top were a couple of elementary
aged kids and their mother, a pair of 65+ men, and a elderly couple. I have to admit that the view from the
top was breath taking, and rightfully so, because the air was extremely thin. However, we were not allowed to spend
much time capturing the view, because a wall of dark clouds was moving in and
it would not have been in our best interest to be caught above the tree line
with lightning blasting all around us.
I did all I could to not gripe or whine as I started to retrace my
footsteps down the mountain. As
promised the hike down was not as draining, but more than once I came close to
spraining my ankle as I came down unpreparedly hard on my feet. More than once, I found myself asking
myself, “Why did I decide to tackle this mountain?” Five hours after beginning our ascent we returned to the
place where we started, and I was beat, oblivious to what would lead anyone to
undertake what I just undertook.
What could possibly be fun or attractive of five straight hours of sheer
exhaustion, five hours that provided a 5-minute view of the peaks and valleys
around us?
Of course, I had a choice to tackle that mountain, foolish as my choice
may have been. But for many, might
I say all, there is no choice given when standing at the trail head of a high
mountain path. Maybe you are
standing there today.
I will not lie to you. It
may not be an easy hike. You may
gasp for breath from the first step, and your exhaustion may last far longer
than 5 hours. But here’s the good
news. Unlike me and my mountain
climbing troop who could only rely on our own strength and endurance, when you
and I face the mountain paths of our lives we do so with the promise of God
that he will see us through, Psalm 121.
The heat of the sun will not melt us, because the shade of God’s
presence will cover us. The chill
of the dark will not strike us, because God’s ever present love with blanket
us. He will not slumber or sleep,
but his attention will always be focused upon us. Whether we are on our way up, or on our way down, God will
watch over us…guiding us, protecting us, and even placing us upon his shoulders
when we stumble and fall.
That is God’s promise to you and to me when we look to the hills and
mountains that we encounter. God
does not lie to you. It may not be
easy at all, but every step of the way God will be there with you and no
mountain will claim you as its own, because God has staked his claim on you, a
claim that God will not release….no matter what…no matter what!
“I look to the mountains.
From where will my help come?
My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth.”
Have a great week.
God’s grace and peace, (ggap)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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