In April, I agreed to go on a hike that I thought would be simple. I had backpacked before and I knew the trail was not long to our cabin. And I knew the trail to the summit was even shorter. We had all our supplies and high spirits as we drove up the mountain to the lodge where we would pack up and head out. This was a weekend to get away from the craziness of college and to spend time with close friends. But in no way is this a story of simples. This is a story that exemplifies how hard it is to climb a mountain yet how rewarding it is to reach the summit.
The cold air kissed our faces as the warmth of the cabin trailed behind us. It was 5:30 a.m.: earlier than any of us wanted to be awake on a Saturday morning. But we all were alert and ready as we set out chasing the sun with nothing on our backs and a determined mindset after what we had endured the night before. We had hiked miles with heavy backpacks and head lamps on, trudging up the steep, rocky mountain in the pitch black and with snow flurrying from the sky. We used spikes on our boots to dig into the treacherous, icy slopes that we had to endure if we wanted to get to the cabin. After what seemed like hours, hunched over with aching backs and legs like noodles, we arrived at the rugged, wooden home in the middle of nowhere, 6/8 up a mountain. And in only a matter of hours, we would be awake again, ready to set out for the summit.
It started out easy, with simple dirt trails through the woods. We looked to our right and could see orange streaks painted across the horizon as the sun awakened. The breeze blew and everything was peaceful. But in a matter of ten minutes, all we could see were rocks and more rocks. A bunch of smooth, steep rock faces climbing to the sky. No longer did the horizon look inviting. And no longer was this hike peaceful. Every ten steps I had to stop to take a breath. At points, I had to crawl to get over the next boulder. Our spikes aided us on the icy parts, but on the rocks they only made it more difficult. I looked up only 20 minutes into the hike to see the sky line meet the rock face above me. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing the summit was near. Only, to my deep disappointment, more rock appeared above me as I climbed over that rock face. It was a never-ending trek to the top. Our group stopped often, not wanting to continue. The cold, harsh wind grew more fierce as we climbed higher. At that point, all we wanted to do was turn around. But something kept pushing us. We had an indescribable drive to continue. And so we did.
Thirty-five minutes after we set out, we looked up to see a small building sitting on top of tall wooden beams. And then we knew…we had made it to the summit. As soon as we hit flat ground, the sky illuminated with orange and red beams and our faces were hit with roaring, icy wind. Our eyes watered from the cold, but I think there were also tears of joy. We had reached the summit. And now we got to witness the sunrise like we had never seen before. The ball of fire rose over the horizon as we sat on the rock, staring in awe of its magnificence. My face was numb and I couldn’t feel my hands, but none of that seemed to matter as I looked out at the beauty of the world around me. Glistening rivers, never-ending forests, and winding roads all reflected the morning sun and made a landscape that we only ever seem to witness on a postcard. Yet it was right there in front of me, so tangible and so real. I had reached the summit, and to this day, I take great lessons from that treacherous rock face that was once my enemy.
See, sometimes, we go into situations not knowing what’s ahead of us. It’s like hiking in darkness. We can’t see the steep hill that’s ahead of us, so we keep pushing through and we reach our destination. We slip on hidden ice along the way and sometimes our legs hurt, but ultimately we endure because we know what the reward is at the end. Hiking in the dark also illustrates our trust in God. God knows everything -- what’s ahead of us, what’s behind us, what’s to our right and to our left. But we don’t know those things because we are not omniscient. So it’s important that we march into the dark with the confidence in God that He knows and He will get us to our destination.
Sometimes in life, we will face situations in which we can see everything around us except the end goal. We don’t know how to get there even though everything is illuminated in great light. Our feet slip and our legs ache and harsh wind lashes at our faces and we don’t have the strength to endure. When we get to that point, where all hope is lost and we want to give up, we must pause and look to God. On that mountain that day, I believe each of us stopped, paused, and looked to God. The only way to get up that mountain, to reach the summit that day, was to accept the strength from the Almighty One. He was our indescribable drive to continue.
For once we trust in God, in the darkness and in the light, in the harsh conditions and in the beauty surrounding us, we can endure each rock face. Strength is given to us through our Mighty Savior. Without Him, it’s impossible to climb each treacherous mountain that we face in life. So if you take anything out of this story, take this: If we pause and look to God in the midst of a steep climb, if we trust God in the darkness, we can reach each summit with great triumph knowing that the Lord was by our side every step of the way.
And with each new mountain we can say, "I will climb this mountain with my hands wide open."
