Conquering the Mountain

Sharon Wilson describes how during a climb up physical or metaphorical mountains, we sometimes need to access different paths and even take a rest.

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines. (Isaiah 25:6)

The mountain in this passage refers to Mount Zion, a symbol of the Heavenly Jerusalem, and the banquet is a promise that awaits us at the end of time. Throughout the Bible, mountains play an important role; Mount Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments, the mountain in the region of Moriah where Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac, and of course Mount Calvary, where Jesus died on the cross.

Climbing mountains or in my case, hills, is an exciting and sometimes scary feat. Have you ever noticed that it’s easier going uphill than down? As we ascend, our eyes are fixed on what’s ahead. As we descend, we are watching our feet so that we don’t trip or fall.

This past year my daughter and I took a trip to Arizona. While staying in our short-term rental you could see a mountain in the distance. One day we decided to drive near it and hike. We took an easy path for just an hour and then hurried on our way to our other sightseeing. The next day we decided to hike again, but this time we decided to head up the mountain to see how far we could go.

We were prepared to hike an hour or maybe two but as we steadily climbed, we got to a halfway point and needed to make a decision. The climbing had been tough, and I knew that I would not be coming back to this spot to hike again before we ended our vacation, so we decided to make the commitment to hike to the top. We had gotten this far—so why not?

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Luckily, we had brought enough water and were dressed appropriately. What we didn’t expect was how steep the rest of the climb would be. There was a path to follow, and we met hikers coming down the mountain and also let quite a few pass us as they kept a faster pace. In places on the path, we had to grab on to crevices in the rock. At those times I tried not to think of how we would descend those spots. We took our time and accessed our route and even discussed if we should return. Other hikers encouraged us when we asked how much farther, and I am proud to say we made it to the top!

While going uphill was exhausting, going down was scary. Seasoned hikers would step down freely, almost loping down the slippery rocks. I, on the other hand, turned around and backed down those same rocks making sure I had footing and held to the crevices in reverse.

Finally, back at our car, we decided to go for an amazing lunch as a reward!

Click to tweet:
Mountains can be overwhelming. But bit by bit, they can be conquered. #CatholicMom

Every day, in our life, we encounter mountains. Mountains can be overwhelming. But bit by bit, they can be conquered. Sometimes, we make mountains out of molehills.

When we stop halfway, we can focus on our accomplishment about how far we’ve come.

We can reflect on where we are going. We may need to change paths to go around big boulders or forge straight ahead.

Take time today to reflect on your journey. Are you going uphill or down? Do you need to adjust the route or perhaps rest a little longer?

When we reach the top of the heavenly mountain, we will have a feeling of exhilaration and a sense of accomplishment, and of course, a feast with rich food and choice wines!

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