YOU HAVE TO TRUST IN YOUR GUIDE

The “Kilimanjaro Warriors” recently reached the summit of the mountain after a grueling climb.  Several hundred make the challenging climb up the highest mountain in Africa every year.  What made this climb so unique and newsworthy?  The people belonging to the “Kilimanjaro Warriors” are wounded military veterans, many of which are amputees.  One of the climbers described the exhilaration of climbing the mountain and the agony of falling, skinned knees and the fear experienced as he descended.  He finished his story with these words, “The climb is not complete until you get to the bottom.”

The brave warrior’s words grabbed my attention, “The climb is not complete until you get to the bottom.”  Thinking over my life, sometimes it seems I have slid downhill a whole lot more than climbed the mountain.  That is impossible of course because you can’t go down the mountain unless you have already stood on the peaks.  So thinking about the times of climbing and descending in my life, I began to examine the differences between going up and coming down.  Why does the ascent seem easier than the descent?  Why does the anticipation of reaching the summit give you a kick of adrenaline but the exhilaration of reaching the goal swiftly fades as you make your way to the bottom?

When you are in the process of climbing, your focus is upward.  You can mark the progress and you reach a new “plateau” every day.  With every new height reached, you are met with a widening view of the scenery, a new experience, an exciting discovery; you overcome the challenges successfully because you want to reach the top.  You can see each ledge and toe hold clearly as you pull yourself up the mountain.  Finally you reach the summit and the whole world is laid out before you as your reward.  The air is clear, you can see for miles. Exhausted?  Yes, but the adrenaline kicks in and you are convinced that this place is where you were always meant to live.

After a few hours or days on top of the mountain, the granola bars just don’t satisfy, there are no streams from which to replenish your dwindling water supply, the exhilaration has waned and the view becomes familiar.  It is time to descend because in actuality your climb is only halfway complete.  The backpack is lighter now and suddenly you notice the “clear air” is really a strong wind that seems to relentlessly buffet your tired body.  The same path that you climbed up is the same path you will follow down but the footholds are backwards and seem less sure.  There are times when you must turn on your belly and blindly feel by faith, for the rocky ledge that was a welcome boost as you climbed upward.  Now, can you imagine being an amputee and going through this whole process.  You try to feel the rocky ledge but you have no feeling in your prosthetic limbs to tell your brain that you are on secure footing.  As the “wounded warrior” stated, “That’s when you have to trust your guide.”

Deuteronomy 31:8 And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

Weary “Fellow-descender,” we all come to places in our descent from the peaks when we just have to TRUST OUR GUIDE.  He’s been down the mountain before; He knows the path.  You may feel as if you are dangling in midair on the side of a steep mountain but TRUST YOUR GUIDE.  You may have tripped and fallen, your knees may be raw and bleeding and you have lost sight of the summit’s beautiful panoramic view, but TRUST YOUR GUIDE. 

Finally you reach the bottom of the mountain and lie down in the soft warm grass.  A trickling brook promises cool refreshing waters and visions of a hot supper fill your mind.  You’ve made it; YOU’VE REACHED THE BOTTOM, THE CLIMB IS COMPLETE!!!