Faith

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Having been there in a mountain’s peak was just amazing. You can’t really tell if you could get there at first given the fatigue you have to overcome and every rising path is excruciatingly hard to cross. But what builds your adrenalin up is the fact that there’s something to reach out there – maybe even far beyond what’s seen in the naked eye – that keeps you going up. Every step needs a lot of encouragement. Without it, one could just slip away and never try climbing a mountain again. I’ve reflected a lot on our sojourn at the summit. When we finally reached the top, I felt as if I’ve achieved something great that I wanted to tell everyone that “I’ve been there.”, “I’ve done that.”, “yeah. The way up was hard but still I’ve done it. “, “LOOK AT ME! I’M AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN!” Honestly. No one could hide it. Only a harebrained would have said none. Why? Because I’ve exerted so much in order to get to it. You ask me how many times have I thought not to proceed – I come to think of that thought every other step I make. But what keeps me the strength to move forward? MY FOCUS – and that is, to be able to get to the top.
Moving to my reflection, I realized that mountaineering is like our faith. It’s a tough road to get to the top. There you’ll meet hardships, many obstacles, numerous trials and immeasurable persecutions along the way - things that keep pulling you down - distracting you and setting your eyes away from your focus and your sole purpose. In reality, it’s called GRAVITY. Science explains it as the force that keeps you down and your feet on solid ground. In our faith, there is this journey – a long one – where pursuing the top and giving up are the only choices. Ask yourself: Will I pursue my faith or just stop here because it’s so hard and I can’t take it? My friend, giving up is easier but you will never gain anything from it. After all, where’s the spirit if you give up, right?
You may feel alone in your faith right now. It may seem as if no one’s there to help you when you fall face down on the muddy mountain ground. But I tell you, your focus will help you win. In our faith, our focus is on five letters: J-E-S-U-S. I think those letters explain it all. He will never leave you. He will always be with you. Just keep walking. Keep climbing. Strengthen your bones. Flex your muscles. Give everything. Make every effort. Don’t stop. Never let yourself be distracted. Never mind your being faint. Keep going. Climb higher! Higher! HIGHER! It’s a process, anyway. It’s impossible for someone to reach the top without making it happen. You will always start at the beginning. That’s life.
I tell you, you wouldn’t ask for anything else once you’re at the mountain’s peak. You could’ve given anything in exchange for it. And you’ll begin to decide that your pain while climbing up couldn’t be compared to what you’ve gained at the top. It’s just amazing, you know.
However, when we climb a mountain, we really have to get down again. No matter how much we’ve hoped to stay at the peak forever, we truly do have to get down. Here is the difference between what I prefer to call our “mountain faith” and mountaineering by itself. In the real world full of stuff to do and climbing a mountain is only one of the many ways to unwind, once you’ve climb, there’s definitely a need for you to get down. But in our “mountain faith”, we shouldn’t. Mountain faith should be just getting up… Higher… sometimes even faster. But never going down. Because if you climb the “mountain faith” and suddenly give up, you’re drifting away and getting back to the way you used to live before. I’ve noticed a thing or two while we’re trailing our way down Mt. Pingas. One is that it’s easier to go down than to climb up. The second one is you will find many other things that will amuse you that you thought you haven’t seen before while you’re climbing because when you climb, you conserve your strength thus you didn’t get to see stuff on your way. Those symbolize the distractions that keep pulling you down again. They may seem alright and amusing but all of a sudden, you lie face down and the enemy will be laughing at you.
CLIMB HIGHER, MY FRIEND. The Lord will lead you. Focus only on Him. Never get down. No matter how hard it is, CONTINUE. CLING. CLIMB. The trek up to the peak of the “mountain faith” will certainly be excruciating like no other. But think about the prize you’ll get when you’ve reached it – if you stayed faithful until the end. It’s bliss and comfort and every great thing you could think of wrapped in a fine linen cloth presented to you by your sole focus. And He is, Jesus.

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