Learning about God while climbing mountains

   Hello readers! It has been months since I have posted anything! Yeesh... However, let me just testify that whether or not I'm writing about it, God is always moving. He has been doing amazing things in my life and continuing to bring healing as He takes me deeper in relationship with Himself. 

    Recently I went on a trip to Colorado with a church group of peers. I've visited seven different countries over the world in my life so far, yet this trip was one of the best trips I've ever been on. What made it so? Two things. The first was that the group I went with was absolutely amazing. I could fill this post, probably several, with stories from the trip and the people I went with. The second would be the lessons I learned about God, and the emphasis placed on looking for spiritual parallels while on the trip. 

    I wanted to use this post specifically to process the lessons and spiritual parallels that I found on this trip. It was an adventure-type trip. Every day had its own set of activities, and the leaders that guided us through every activity had us look for the spiritual parallels in each one.

    The first full day and the evening prior were heavy in the team-building focus. Those activities were amazing as the group that at first, I did not know very well, quickly became people that I trust deeply. One of the spiritual parallels that I saw in this is the importance of surrounding yourself with a solid Christian community. We are not designed to go through this life alone. God created community. We need each other, to lean on, and point one another back to God. I think one of the tactics that the enemy uses is to make us think that we are isolated and alone. However, 1 Peter 5:8-9 says, "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world." Now I'm going to add verses 10 and 11 as well because they are just so good. The entire passage is just so encouraging and important to keep in mind when going through struggles and spiritual warfare. 1 Peter 5:10-11 "And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen." So so good. I dearly love passages that remind us that there is purpose in pain. I think we all need to be reminded from time to time that regardless of what is going on in the world or our personal lives God is very much still in control and working things for good. Anyway, the section that I'm emphasizing for this time is verse 9 where it says, "Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world." We are never alone. One huge blessing on this trip was sharing testimonies with each other and hearing each other's stories. I'll probably discuss this again at a later point in this post, but here I just want to encourage you. Share your story. There is no such thing as a small testimony. Every single testimony gives glory to God, and every word spoken weakens the devil's power over that area. 

    In the morning we split into two groups and tackled the low ropes course. This course was all about working as a team and getting through the obstacles together. At the end of each one, before going on to the next, the leaders would ask what spiritual parallels we could see having completed the activity. One of the activities was a cable, just a few inches off the ground, connecting three or four trees. The objective was to get our entire group to the last tree on the cable. We were to walk across the cable, each person holding the hand of the one beside them. So, to balance we only had each other to steady ourselves and a tree occasionally. It was insanely difficult. I volunteered to go last because anyone to my right would have to steady themselves on my shoulder instead of my hand. It was very hard to balance. Whenever you fell off you had to start over again at the end. So, I was at the end, and someone fell off, so they had to come in behind me. It was fascinating, the instant they put a hand on my shoulder to steady themselves I was more secure and could walk forward easier. We talked afterward about this and it's spiritual parallel. In life, we need to lean on and support each other. We need to lean on and support someone going ahead of us. We also need to lean on and support someone coming up after us. We need both. In this life community is not something that would be ideal, or a luxury, it is absolutely without question a need. 

Another couple of other spiritual parallels that we talked about from this activity really stuck with me. The first was the relief that the trees were. It was so great to finally reach a tree and for a few moments hold on to something that was anchored firmly into the ground. What was the spiritual parallel we found in this? There are many times in life, heck just in the span of twenty-four hours that we need to check in with God. Take a break from trying to balance and just lean completely into God as our unshakable Rock and Fortress. Also, to check in and evaluate. God, how am I doing? How would you like me to move forward? It's a good reminder that God is our balance, we are not going through this life alone, He steadies us on every side. 

The second was how much of a difference where we focused affected our balance. When we were looking down at the cable or our shoes, it was harder to balance and stay steady to help balance those around us. Whereas when we focused on the tree in front of us, that in and of itself steadied our feet and helped us balance better. In life what are we focusing on? Are we looking at our feet stressing out and wondering how on earth we're supposed to balance everything on our own? Can we see the end goal? Can we lift up our eyes and see the glory that awaits us when we finally get to be reunited with God, face to face surrounded by His glory and majesty? That is the end goal. Oh, lift up your eyes! He will give you the strength to step forward, to continue on. 

    In the afternoon we had the high ropes course. I wanted to watch a few people go through it before I tackled it. I went to a different area for a bit and then came back towards the end of the line. The high ropes course was a set of challenges set high in the trees. The way to reach them was to climb up the tree using the pegs and staples that were secured to it. The minute I saw that and how people had to climb it I knew I was not going to be able to get up that way. The leader had me try, and I barely got a few pegs up. I couldn't make it any further. So, he suggested that they pull me up so I could at least do the zipline part of the course. I still wanted to try to do part of the course though, so I suggested the cargo net which was two obstacles away from the zipline. Because climbing straight up a tree one-handed with nothing to lean into was not possible for me at least. A cargo net however I could lean into while I moved my arm to a different position. He was willing to try that. So, we headed over to it. The cargo net was around forty feet high, and I am thankful I did not know that at the time. The leader called some of the guys over to hold the cargo net in place while I climbed it, and another set to be my belay team. Once everyone was there and ready, I didn't give myself enough time to freak out, but stepped up to the cargo net and started climbing. My belay and anchor team were absolutely amazing. I would not have been able to reach the top without them. I nearly cried when I reached the top and the ground below erupted with cheers. They were supporting me and shouting encouragement the whole time I climbed. It definitely took me a minute, but I made it! They stuck with me through the whole thing. This led me to wonder... Is this what life is supposed to look like? God created community; He said it was not good for man to be alone. Some cultures are incredibly community-focused, American culture is not one of those. Each has its pros and cons, but I think everyone thrives when given a chance in a true community. That experience of reaching the top of the cargo net, hearing everyone cheering, and knowing that I could not have made it anywhere close to the top on my own made me long for a version of this on a daily level. What if we're supposed to depend on each other and on God like we're on a tightrope? What if we're supposed to let each other in to help and support when we're doing hard things or jumping out of our comfort zone? Or when we're just having a day, good or bad. What if we encouraged, supported, prayed, cheered, and point back to God in each other's daily life, which is much harder than any tightrope? What would that look like? Being real, and honest with each other, knowing we have each other's backs, and that God is the center focus of it all. In living overseas one lesson I was taught by a dear friend in Sierra Leone is that we should always help, encourage, and support each other when we can because we never know when we will be in the same position of need. 

    Anyway, upon reaching the top the first obstacle was a cable to walk on and one rope to help steady and balance. I was terrified and very shaky. It took me forever to get across that one because I was shaking so bad. Why was I so scared? My brain hadn't quite realized the fact that I was in a full-body harness and was very much secured to the rope above me. I thought I was balancing more or less on my own. Spiritual parallel? We are never walking this tightrope that is life alone. We are not left on our own to balance. We are not unsecured, walking on a rope high in the trees with no harness. This example was even more cemented in my mind thanks to the incredibly patient staff member that walked right ahead of me the entire way. He steadied the ropes that I was constantly shaking and kept talking to me to guide me and help take my mind off of the fear. For the second obstacle, he had me sit down in my harness and just ride it to the next platform. Which was so fun! Representing what complete trust and surrender to God can look like. God knows my path; He made my path. I can lean back and trust what He is in control and knows what He's doing. 

    Now... for the zipline... The whole reason for doing the high ropes course is the zipline at the end! I wanted to go off backward because when I asked a couple of the guys, they recommended it as the best way. So, I did. I was all ready and then stepped backward off the platform. There was a split second, though it felt longer, where I was just falling. I assure you my eyes were tightly closed, and then zip! There it was! The rope above caught up with my harness and in an instant instead of down I was zooming forward to the end. Spiritual parallel? Heck yeah. Stepping off the platform was literally a step of faith. Then that free-falling second, I have felt so many times in life. Whenever I have taken a risk to step out in faith, or simply every time that I reached the end of my rope and didn't have the strength to hold on any longer. There has so often been that period, however long, of waiting, wondering if God is going to catch me as I'm falling or not. Then, so many times, it feels like just the last second God catches me. However, He never let go in the first place. Just because I couldn't feel the harness and all the rigging in that moment of falling did not mean that I didn't have them or that they stopped working. Even when I was falling, I always had my harness on and was always attached to the rope above. God never lets us go, even when we can't feel Him, He is always holding us, securely in His arms. He is more secure than the best harness, more reliable than the best belay team, and He will never falter. He is worth trusting in, and the ride is amazing. 

Psalm 16:8 "I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken."

    The next morning, we went rock climbing. While I was waiting for a chance to try the easier climbing area, I had an amazing conversation in which we shared testimonies. I cannot emphasize this enough. Getting the opportunity to hear other people's testimonies and share my own occasionally was one of the highlights of this trip. As Christians, we need reminders that we are not going through this life alone, we all need to learn from each other and be encouraged in our faith walk. Share. Your. Story. I guarantee someone needs to hear what God has done and is doing in your life. 

    After that, it was my turn to try this rock-climbing thing. Once again, my belay team was incredible. Constantly supporting and encouraging me. It wasn't easy, I slipped quite a few times and had the marks to prove it. Now everyone else that climbed that particular section took maybe ten to fifteen minutes to reach the top. I however climbed for about forty-five minutes and was about ten or so feet from the top before I decided to get down. I decided to get down because I was struggling to move forward and kept slipping and landing on my right shoulder. It definitely did not feel like I had been up there for forty-five minutes. I wasn't totally discouraged though, for a couple reasons. Firstly, I apparently climbed about sixty, maybe seventy feet. Secondly, one thing that one of the leaders said was yes, we need to stay focused on the destination, but we also can't forget to enjoy the journey. The climb was fun, my belay team was incredible, and the view from where I got up to was amazing. 

    The afternoon was repelling off the side of a cliff, 160 feet high. This was one of my favorite activities on the trip. I got to do it twice! This was another one where we got to encourage each other and help each other as we walked off the side of a cliff! I think the spiritual parallels from this one were similar to the previous activities, this just helped cement it in my brain more. When I was walking off the side of a cliff, I had to trust that my harness, my equipment, and the belayer had me. And I had to remember to enjoy the journey! We weren't supposed to hike up the hill just to repel straight down constantly watching our feet and going inch by inch. We were supposed to be careful for sure, and we were also supposed to have fun with it. Bounce down a bit, pick up some speed, and definitely check out the view. That's one thing that was emphasized a few times. Don't forget to look at the view! I think that is important in life as well. Don't forget to slow down, look around you, and appreciate where God has put you in the time being, and the people He's put you with. Things change so quickly. We don't know how long we're going to be in a place or a stage of life, so let's enjoy where we are while we're here! 

    The next day was white water rafting. I couldn't really paddle, but they let me ride the whole way. I didn't fall out and I had so much fun! The spiritual parallels from this activity were really interesting. The first one that really struck me was on depending on God's guidance. One of the guys rowing in the front of the raft that I was in was wearing glasses. We went through the first rapid and his glasses were covered. As we went on, he's like, yeah, I cannot see at all. Strangely enough, he didn't have to. Technically none of us did to get through the rapids. There was a guide in the back of the boat doing any needed steering and calling out rowing directions to those rowing. So often it is so easy to get frustrated when we don't see or understand what God is doing. Many times, I've had to catch myself when I'm doing that and be like wait... Are we as humans supposed to understand every direction that God gives, or be able to see ahead the entire path that He has for us? God is so much greater than what our brains can even begin to comprehend. He wants us to trust Him, and trust that He is in control. We can no more take control from God than we could take control from the rapids while riding them. It's a matter of surrendering to the One Guide who knows us and what is best for us far better than we do. And He loves us on a level that we can't even begin to reach. So why should we doubt His direction? Sometimes, the guide's directions didn't make sense and had to be followed immediately. It didn't pay to argue though because he was the one that knew the water. 

Another point was don't let go of the paddle. If you do, you're at the mercy of the rapids and whatever direction the water takes you. Likewise, don't let go of the Word of God. The main thing in this life that gives us direction for navigating is the Word of God. 

When we reached the more intense rapids before each one the guide would give us directions of what to do if we fell out. Each boat was also told that if they saw anyone floating in the water to pull them into the boat. If we stray away from God, there is always a way to come back Home to Him. And if you get separated from your raft God will send people to take you into theirs. 

Enjoy the beauty of the ride. One of the perks of being a passenger princess and not having to paddle was that I got to enjoy the scenery a lot more. It was breathtaking. Also, take time for fun and breaks. Twice the guides pulled our rafts over to calmer spots for swim breaks and there were rocks that we could jump off of into the water. This reminded me of the importance of taking breaks in day-to-day life. Especially when you're rushed and it doesn't make sense to take a break, that may be when you need it the most. Don't underestimate what separating yourself from the rush even for a few minutes can do. At the second swim spot, there was a bit of a cliff diving opportunity. The rock that we could jump off of into the water was about 15 feet high. At first, I was like, nah... I'm gonna stay in the boat and watch people jump. Then as I watched everyone jumping in the water, some more than once, I thought, when am I going to get another chance to do something like this? Then I asked one of my friends if he recommended doing the jump. He said absolutely and that sealed it. Take the risks, you don't have to take them alone. Doing this jump looked really scary, but I wasn't doing it alone. One of my friends made sure I made it to the top safely, he and many others were cheering me on at the bottom, and a woman at the top that I didn't know said to me, if you do it, I'll do it too. Then jumping into that cold crisp water was amazing. For a few seconds, before my life jacket started pulling me up, I was completely surrounded by cold, invigorating water. Imagine! We are surrounded by the Love of God similarly. Completely and totally immersed, protected, and encased by His Love. Inescapably surrounded. It was so beautiful to experience. 

Kind of on the flip side of that image is when we feel that we are surrounded by darkness and can't find our way out, God is our life jacket and will only let us stay under for so long until He leads us to the surface once again. 

The last point I have for white water rafting is one that I found quite fascinating as it was happening. Nearly every time we approached a rapid the guide would call out for those rowing to row either one or two strokes. As merely a rider I got to watch the effects of this. One would think in looking at the waves and churning water that it would be easy to just toss the oar into the boat and curl up into a ball to just ride out the rapid. I've experienced that many times in life, so many things that I was just wanting to curl up in the corner and close my eyes until that dark season was over. There are times in dark seasons and seasons of stress when God just calls us to rest in Him, hide under His wings, and let Him fight for us. And now I'm seeing that there are times when God asks us to fight to lean into Him during the hardest of times, to press into Him when things aren't easy, instead of pressing into fear. If the rowers had not rowed through the rapids according to the directions of the guide, what would have happened? The rapids would have been so much worse to travel through, and the raft could have easily overturned. Is it not the same when we don't fight to stay close to God? 

So that was very fascinating to watch and ponder through as the leaders helped us to keep looking for spiritual parallels at the front of our minds. 

    The next day and last day of activities was a peak ascent. Climbing a mountain is very fascinating for finding spiritual parallels. I was blessed to get to talk about the spiritual parallels seen in this activity with one of the leaders on the way down. 

The first steps may be the hardest. The altitude was hard to adjust to, and at first, my lungs were not having it. But it only got easier from there, which I know isn't always the case. However, in life or in our faith walks the first steps might be the hardest ones to take. It's a leap of faith in every step, trusting God for the strength and endurance to continue. 

Everyone's journey and pace are different. Celebrate everyone's wins. I didn't reach the top. They said I probably could have though, with just a little more time. I was satisfied with the height that I did reach though, probably around three/fourths of the way to the top. When I reached as high as I was going to go, we met up with one of the leaders and their group on their way down from the top. I got the biggest hug from her as she celebrated how far I had come, and in turn, made me speechless. In life, we're all going to be at various stages at any given time. Don't waste time in comparison. Even if we're all on the same main path of following God, we all have different journeys, different first steps, different ways we ended up where we are, and different stories. All of which are God-given.

Don't walk alone. I walked with one of the leaders and would not have made it as far as I did without her guidance and helping me to push myself. Depend on each other. In life, we need each other to depend on and push each other to do things and go farther than we ever could on our own. Reach out and help those around you whether or not you know them. That was one cool thing on the mountain everyone that we passed going up or down greeted and offered encouragement as well as needed warnings to each other. This is desperately needed in the rest of life as well, with discernment, obviously. 

Stay focused. The rocks that you're walking on can either cause you to fall flat on your face or give you the boost and traction you need to move forward. Distractions are so hard, and this life is full of them. They are comparable to the rocks that were in our path, and to the wind that would shove us around as we tried to move forward. Yet, just like everything, if we take it to God, and leave it at His feet, He can use it to bring us closer to Himself.

Pick goals in sight and reach those. When my lungs were still struggling to catch up the leader walking with me would say okay, see that curve in the path or that landmark? That's our goal. We would reach that point and then stop and breathe and drink water. That was so helpful in not becoming overwhelmed. We just climbed one piece of the mountain at a time, then by the time we looked back we had climbed most of it. Take one day at a time. Walk through it with God. 

Take time to breathe, rest, and eat. It was unspeakably restorative to eat lunch on the mountain. Sandwiches have never tasted so good. I think in life these basic things are very underestimated. Take time, to breathe, rest, and eat. Restore your strength. Stay focused on the destination, but don't disregard the journey.

Steady on. Keep fighting the good fight. 1 Timothy 6:12 "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." Steady on. Depend on God for strength because I assure you, it will ALL be worth it in the end. 

    This trip has been a healing, and life-changing experience for me, and I am so thankful to God for it. I pray that my rambling processing will in some way be an encouragement and even deepen your relationship with God. Steady on, dearly Beloved Child of the Most High King. Cling to God and seek the community of those around you. Share your story and ask for another person to share theirs. Truly, there are few things more encouraging and impactful than sharing testimonies and giving glory to God in that way. 

Numbers 6:24-26

"The LORD bless you and keep you. The LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; The LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."