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Take A Hike.....

by Shannon Heiden  
8/15/2009 / Devotionals


And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, (Colossians 1:10 NIV)

Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to climb Mount Everest. On May 29, 1953 he scaled the highest mountain then known to man-29,000 feet straight up. He was knighted for his efforts.

He even made American Express card commercials because of it! However, until we read his book, High Adventure, we don't understand that Hillary had to grow into this success.

You see, in 1952 he attempted to climb Mount Everest, but failed. A few weeks later a group in England asked him to address its members.

Hillary walked on stage to a thunderous applause. The audience was recognizing an attempt at greatness, but Edmund Hillary saw himself as a failure. He moved away from the microphone and walked to the edge of the platform.

He made a fist and pointed at a picture of the mountain. He said in a loud voice, "Mount Everest, you beat me the first time, but I'll beat you the next time because you've grown all you are going to grow... but I'm still growing!"

Brian Cavanaugh

Beautiful One, do remember what it was like when you were young and you experienced growing pains? Your bones and joints hurt a bit. Your arms and legs were sore. Maybe you didn't recognize or have the understanding that your body was undergoing changes at the time. Nevertheless, even when you didn't comprehend what exactly was happening to you, your body still kept on, growing.

Life can be that way sometimes. We are constantly undergoing changes within ourselves and we don't quite know or understand why we feel the way we do. Yet even without understanding, the changes still happen.
As we mature and experience life, our minds learn to grow and expand and we eventually come to the place called understanding.

After we have lived long enough, we have each experienced successes and setbacks. We have tried and failed, and then tried and won. Through the process of time and experience, we have either progressed in life or life has been given permission to be our excuse to digress and keep us in the stalls.

Beautiful One, we may know what is going on, but do we have the wisdom to comprehend it? Knowledge is different than wisdom. We may know something, but wisdom gives us understanding. When we were young, and a tooth hurt, we may have known our tooth hurt. the pain told us so. But did we have the understanding that a cavity was behind the scenes causing all the pain?

As adults, we may know our life is difficult in places, but do we have the understanding of the roots that are causing the grief? Do we comprehend the issues of life and have the wisdom to deal with them effectively?

The challenge we face in life is not the surmountable mountain of issues we all have to deal with. The challenge is gaining and exercises wisdom, so that we may turn every obstacle into an opportunity for greatness to be exhibited in our lives.

Conflict is not our enemy. Adversity, pain and heartache although no one welcomes it, can actually be a good thing. For how will ever know how beautiful the mountaintops really are, unless we struggled and fought our way from the valley?

I don't know about you, but I have stopped asking why? I really don't care anymore about "why."

The question I want to know is "what". What am I to learn from this? What wisdom may I gain and in what way can this improve, enrich and strengthen me? In the end, does it really matter "why' things happen.

Usually we don't get an answer and if we do, usually, it doesn't satisfy us as much as it frustrates us. So "why' is not as important anymore. Things happen, life just happens. It does, and if I'm not responsible in some way where I can make the necessary changes, than all I really want to know is "what" can this adversity teach me, so that I may use it for my good.

So many times we get lost in the challenges of life. We get lost because we are trying to figure things out, and sometimes you just cant. We need to be a people who strive for excellence. Who give our best to God and others. We need to treat people well and better than we were treated. And to give our all. But, if things don't turn out good, why do we get stuck at the foot of the mountain looking up at the top, with our head held in our hands saying; "its to hard, I'll never make it, why has this happened?"

Beautiful One, ascending the hill is not easy. There is blood, sweat and tears involved. Not everyone will make it. We must determine in our hearts that any hill worth ascending, is going to leave bruises and scratches. We must not be fooled into thinking, we may gain everything yet lose nothing in the process.

Sir Edmund Hill knew that Mount Everest was no easy undertaking. After he tied and failed, he could've just thrown his hands up in the air and said, "no, its too hard, I cant do it, this thing beat me." But, he didn't. Yes, he felt like a failure, but failure is a given in life, defeat is optional! He got up and tried again. He wasn't going to be like the many and stay down. He got up, knowing the task before him was hard. He persevered and endured. Step after step, bruises, scratches and all. And finally his steps brought him to the final step of victory.

We can learn a lot from the mountains in life. Let us be a remnant that rises through the challenges of life. Let us gain understanding and grow through our adversities. Let us take the knowledge of life, and turn it into understanding that we may be strong and do great exploits. The battle does not get won by being the smartest, strongest, fastest, or best looking. The battle is won and the victory goes to the person who never gives up and who truly believes that: "all things are possible." (Mark 9:23NIV)

Beautiful One, just believe. Grab those boots and take a hike!

Shannon Heiden
[email protected]
changingonelifereachingmany.typepad.com

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