How Do You View The Mountains In Your Life?

I love mountains.   I could look in awe at them forever.  Maybe it’s because I’ve always lived in Louisiana flat lands and don’t get to enjoy their beauty often.  Something about them seems so majestic. But the reality is, mountains can be very scary and treacherous.  Climbing a mountain takes a lot of motivation, energy and endurance and has its fair share of risks.  But if you’ve ever hiked up a mountain, you know it’s SO worth it when you reach the higher elevations and see the expansive views.  Many decide to take on that mountain for the reward their efforts will bring. They consider the risks, take precautions, and go for it!  Then on the top of the mountain there is a different perspective.   They forget about the work it took to get there and enjoy the fruits of their labor.  And probably even decide to do it again.

In life we always have metaphorical mountains to climb.  But we often stand looking at those mountains with despair instead of awe.   We dread how difficult the climb is going to be and many times look for ways around them instead of committing to face and tackle them.   We try to avoid problems in life because we are afraid of the hardships they will bring.  But inevitably we must make that climb.   Many times the climb is difficult and heartbreaking but if you’ve overcome obstacles in your life, you know that once you look back, you realize you’ve learned something.  You’re stronger and more resilient and see things more clearly.   You will hopefully become thankful for how the problem helped you grow.

What if we faced mountains in our lives with a new perspective? Whenever faced with a problem, struggle, conflict, or setback, what if we looked at it with awe and anticipation of what it is going to teach us and the perspective we’ll have once we overcome it?   What if we focused on the person we will be once we climb that mountain rather than spending time dreading it, letting it get us down, and wishing for easier paths in our lives? And what if we even realized that the mountain itself is beautiful with its rough edges and dangerous cliffs?  If we change our attitude about the problems in our lives, we have a much better chance of overcoming them and even finding things to appreciate and enjoy along the way.

I pray that I begin to look at problems in my life the same way I look at mountains.  That I’ll see the beauty in them and not be afraid to face them. That I’ll know climbing the mountain will change me and that I’ll be better for it.  That I’ll muster up the motivation and strength to tackle even the hardest problems rather than dreading them, trying to avoid them, or complaining about them and instead find the good things that are planted along the way.