Up On The Mountain

A lot of times when someone is going through something they will say they are in the valley and when they make it through they will say they are on the mountain. It's a good analogy, who doesn't like the amazing views from the top of the mountain? You can see how far you came and maybe from that view it doesn't look near as terrible as it seemed while walking up. I was recently walking on a trail in a state park. It was toward the end of the day, we'd walked a few trails already and at one part of this trail it was a straight up hill. I got halfway up this hill and I said, 'I'm done. I get to the top of this hill that's it I'm done...' And I was, I didn't care about the view at the top and how it may be worth it or even how close I may be to the top of that hill because my out of shape self just didn't think I could make it (more on that later on though). How often do I (maybe you too) do that in life? More than I should probably but not as often as I did (I hope) because I think I'm getting a clearer picture. That antennae is getting moved so the picture is becoming more clearer (growing up for awhile we had to use an antennae to get any television channels and where we lived certain times of the year it could be difficult to get a decent picture but when you got it just right boy could you see the picture).  Some few years ago, 2011 to be exact, I was fortunate enough to see Pikes Peak in Colorado. Before the day we went to the top of the mountain as we were traveling to different places you could see the snow capped mountains just about anywhere you went in town. Stunning. The day came we got to go to the top of the mountain. At the top the view was amazing, one could see how it inspired the lyrics to what would later become the song America The Beautiful. Let's travel back to the valley though or I'm going to get to far ahead of myself. So the valley can get a bad name. People automatically think if you are in a valley you are in trouble, you're not in a good place and it's going to be a long, rough never ending walk (and sometimes it can be those and feel like you're never going to reach your destination). Maybe the view of the mountain gets blocked by all of the trees and such so much so that you may start to feel defeated. Hating that valley yet? Can I point out a couple or so good things about the valley? It is here where the best plants grow, where the best nourishment can be found and generally found pretty easily even if sometimes you got to take the time to search for it. Down in the valley is where you can find a water source. You can more easily find shelter which is not to say to put up permanent camp and just quit trying to get to the top of the mountain. Rest, yes, find the nourishment and water that is going to help you be able to walk that mountain but don't stay so long it becomes a comfort zone you never want to leave. My point that I hope to make is that when you are in the figurative valley to not get so distracted by how long or rough the walk is you don't see the creek with the clear fresh running water that's right in front of you and your so thirsty but you are so focused on something else, maybe that irritating bug that won't leave you alone, that you don't see the water that could so easily quench your thirst and give you the strength to go farther. Or you don't see the food and shelter that are easily accessible. These figurative things could in reality be several things including family, friends, or just the opportunity for you to sit reflect/pray/meditate/ or just grow in trusting God or grow in some other way. Sometimes in life I think we all have different mountains to see the view from but we get comfortable on one mountain and stay there longer than we are meant to or we get intimidated by the valley that we will have to walk through to get to the other mountain that we just don't go. See I don't thin the valley is always bad because sometimes it's just the bridge that connects the other mountain to the one you are on and it's just nothing more than a simple little walk to get to the other mountain and you can enjoy the stroll. It can be a time to strengthen your muscles (or faith or whatever you want to insert here). So we've made it through the valley and now we are on top of the mountain and looking at the view, and wow what a view, eh? The mountain can be a time to just bask in the beauty of it all and rest because we all need that. What is this? You look down and see that spot where you wanted to say I'm done and it is then you realize just how close you were to the top and breathe a sigh of relief that you didn't stop and/or turn around and go back. See when I was on top of Pikes Peak I realized that it was worth the risk of getting dizzy from the high elevation to get to see the amazing view and I also realized that it was worth being in the valley to be able to look up get the full picture of the snow capped mountains. Earlier I mentioned how I was on that trail and said I'm done. Well I did walk on to to the top of the hill and when I got there and looked down at the view I forgot about why I didn't want to keep going and was just in awe of the view(and can I just say that although I got a long way to go before I get in what I would even say is decent shape there was a time that I really would have just quit and not gone any farther but that day I only had to stop one time and kept going). All of this isn't to make light of the real valleys and mountains people have to climb I guess it's more of just to say don't give up and don't be so intimidated you never try to walk to another mountain or you stay in the valley so that you never get to see that amazing view. There's a line from the song I'll Keep On by NF that says I never knew what freedom was until I learned what prison means and sometimes I think that we can get so comfortable in places that we don't even realize they have become like prisons until for whatever reason we get to take the step out and look back and see where we were and the freedom you feel being away from that place.There's also a line from a song called Live Like You're Loved by Hawk Nelson that states, ' I'm tellin' you somethin' this racing, this running oh, you're working way too hard! And this perfection you're chasing  is just energy wasted cause He love's you like you are!So go ahead and live like you're loved.It's ok to act like you've been set free.' I love that part because sometimes we get stuck in the working to hard to be perfect and get stuck or even regress but it's not about that. So to end this I guess I'll just say that wherever you are and however far it may feel or really be for you to get to that mountain please don't give up because each step you take forward is a step that gets you closer. See I don't know if I'd say I'm on a mountain or a valley and I'm not sure it even matters to have it labeled as either because what does matter is that I'm moving forward to the place I want and am supposed to be.

Since I mentioned Pikes Peak figured I'd add a couple of pictures from there.