Lessons from a mountain

As I made my way up Mt. Fuji a few weeks ago God gave me a picture of my journey through life. I've been thinking about it today as I wonder about life.

At the beginning of the climb I was so excited and ready to conquer the mountain. Energy, desire, motivation, and will power were all very present. I actually felt the guide was moving way too slow! I sometimes wanted to say: 'see ya dude, I'm outta here, I can move much faster than this'. But in a Japanese tour group that would've been absolutely unheard of, and after some consideration I knew that he held his job for a reason. So I stayed in line and followed.

I found that I impressed myself with my endurance and energy level. I was doing great, until I realized I wasn't all that far from where I started. "No big deal," I thought, "I'm at cloud level now! How cool is that?!". A tiny bit discouraged, but I kept following.

Somewhere along the way I realized that the energy and motivation had run away. At this point it was becoming more work than fun, and I'd rather have fun. I started telling myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other and not pay attention to those who were whizzing by me. It was frustrating because I couldn't see anything below cloud level. I wanted to see how far I had climbed! But I couldn't, so I just kept following.

Then the darkness came and I had nothing left but will power to keep going. Not only was it hard work, it sometimes became downright scary not being able to see but a few feet in front or behind. I knew my guide was up there somewhere because I could see the fluorescent light on his back-pack. I kept following.

Then all of a sudden the clouds cleared and behind me I could see all the way down to the bright city lights! I stopped in amazement to look around and see where I had come from. Now I was thankful for being blinded by the earlier clouds. Had I been able to see that entire journey I would've been so frightened at the height. Now I felt a little exhiliration, now I was actually getting somewhere. So I gladly kept following.

For a while I thought I was nearing the top so I marched on with renewed enthusiasm. Grateful for my guide's light, and grateful for those clouds rolling in again to blind me from the height. I was sorely disappointed however, when the place I thought to be the top turned out not to be. I couldn`t even see the summit! Yet, at just the right time, the clouds dissipated again to reveal the long road I had already travelled. So I figured, just as I couldn`t always see the details of where I had come from, it might also be best not to see all the details of where I was going, lest it be too scary. I resolved to keep following and enjoy the cool air (a wonderful relief from the Tokyo heat).

Little by little; one step at a time; and following the light from my guide, I finally stood on the summit! And in my mind I thought, `Wow, this is amazing! I made it! This is by far the most exciting thing I have ever done!` As I made that last step my guide was actually there saying (in Japanese), `Congratulations, good work. You did it.` Crossing that finish line was worth all the effort. I had a unique and special view of a breath-taking sunrise.

`I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.` ~Philippians 3:14~