Mountain Lessons

I'm down from my 3rd successful summit of mount Rainier & very much appreciate everyone's prayers and encouragement. It was my best summit ever and had a great time with the wedding party & the successful summit wedding. We all made it up & down safely & had a great time doing it.
While climbing Rainier there is AMPLE time to think about things (not much else to do as you put one foot in front of the other for 6 straight hours...& that's just going up!). I think about my wife, my kids, my church, upcoming messages, my relationship with God, my blessed life, etc...I realized that there are MANY life analogies to mountain climbing i.e. Overcoming Obstacles, Rewards for Perseverence, Proper Preparation, Don't Settle for Valleys, & many more. Each is a great message, but the one analogy that stuck out to me this time more than any other is...Don't Go It Alone!!! Climbing a tough mountain like Rainier ALONE is not only dangerous it is foolish. There are steep slopes, rock & ice falls, crevasses & treacherous terrain. The entire way up & down the upper slopes I was roped into a team of 4 with an experienced guide. That way if one falls down the other 3 can catch him before disaster. In addition to safety the team also provides great encouragement & affirmation. Even when silent, there is great motivation for not wanting to let the team down. This is also so very true with life...Don't Go It Alone. So many people try to live life on their own...no group support, little affirmation, no one to help pull them out of a ditch or warn them of a danger. As a result marriages fail, finances evaporate and character crumbles. It doesn't have to be so...Get Connected. Find 2 or 3 people or a community group, someone who is heading where you want to go and go with them. The Bible book of Ecclesiastes (4:7-12) has something to say about this wisdom. Listen, life is hard enough to try to climb all of life's mountains on your own. Get connected with the right people and you will make it to the top. Keep Climbing!!!