The other day some friends took me on what I thought would be a short climb. We parked the car and took a look at the summit. We got out our climbing gear and started putting on our boots and gathering what we needed in our backpacks.
It doesn’t seem that far or that difficult. Good! I thought.
During the winter I had suffered a knee injury and subsequently felt a bit out of shape. In any case, I was just looking forward to something simple.
We started walking along the path uphill and my legs soon began to hurt, I lacked breath, and all the while I was still hoping it would be a short climb. Then the path changed into a rockier, winding trail. We were still in the woods that, although green and beautiful, were enveloping us and keeping us from seeing any kind of view around us. I knew we must have been making some progress, judging by the time, but it wasn’t until we came out of the woods and stopped by a gorgeous lookout point that we could actually see the progress we’d made and the height yet to conquer in order to reach the top.
Those few minutes spent admiring the breathtaking view over the lake beneath us, taking a picture and a sip of water, encouraged us and gave us the feeling that we were doing good and making progress, even though the summit still seemed quite far.
Then the path turned into a climb. At this point I could feel myself beginning to panic a little. The sky had been gathering dark clouds, and right then a few ominous raindrops started falling, making the rock slippery. We met others along the way, some experienced climbers, some attempting it for the first time. The uncertainty of the weather made everyone feel a common trepidation. And who knows, maybe others were praying, as I was. The rain stopped but the clouds remained. It wasn’t an easy climb and it required some stretching for sure, but the view got more intriguing and majestic over time. It definitely made it worth it all.
At one point, on a particularly difficult passage, my more experienced friend whispered in my ear, “You are doing good, you know. There are others climbing today who are having a much harder time.” Those few words had a profound effect on me: they got my eyes off myself and my personal struggle. I took a look at the young girl climbing for the first time, who looked worried. She was slowly making it too, helped by her friend. I smiled at her and said a few words. Once more I realized how important encouragement can be. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”1
And finally, the top!
There’s always something exhilarating about reaching the summit, no matter how tough the climb, but this time a magical sense of peace inundated my soul, bringing tears to my eyes. By God’s help I made it. He was with me all along the way. He lifted me when I thought I could not make it one more step. I was now able to see the whole path that took me to the top. Many turns were needed in order to get up here, and they made the journey richer—not easier, but definitely more interesting and exciting.
On the way back to the car I couldn’t help but reflect on some of the events that have taken place in my life. When you are in the thick of the forest and on a hard uphill climb, it’s often hard to make sense of things or understand where you are standing, or, for that matter, to gather the strength and the conviction to keep going. All you can feel is the sweat, the strain, the tiredness. In that moment it’s so easy and even understandable to give up and turn back, and to be honest, a few times I have been so tempted to!
I can only thank Jesus and the power of the Word ingrained in us through years of studying and living it. Thank you also, dear friends, for the encouragement you’ve given me along the way. Your prayers, your love, and your example have definitely helped me make it this far!
1 Proverbs 25:11.
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