When you think of mountain climbers who scale treacherous heights for enjoyment you probably think of them as either people who are crazy to risk their life for pleasure, or admire them for their mental toughness and willingness to try something so dangerous. I kind of side both ways but do admire them not only for their mental toughness, but having faith in their ability to climb to such heights. These climbers love the risk factor and have faith even when not knowing what awaits each step of their climb.
One of my favorite mountain climbing stories of 2010 came from a preacher believe it or not. He was taking one of those Holy Land tours and told the story of climbing
Mt. Sinai which is located in Egypt. Mt. Sinai is most noted for being the place Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. It is also known for it's breath-taking, spectacular sunrise views up at the summit which also includes small chapels.
The preacher and some other tourists were given the chance to witness one of these sunrise extravaganzas. Due to the extreme heat of the day their tour guide chose to bring them up Mt. Sinai in the evening when the temperatures were cooler. With the guide leading the way and the only one carrying a flashlight, they ascended the mountain in an orderly single file, as they each held the hand of the person in front of them. Some of the tourists had pen lights with them, but obviously a pen light does not do justice when scaling a mountain. So each person literally had to trust the person in front of them, just as mountain climbers need to trust the other climbers they are paired with. Once they reached the top, which is about a 2 and a half hour climb to where they were ascending, they camped there until sunrise.
Their climb was worth it as they did get to view one of the more spectacular sunrises you will ever witness. Once they were ready to descend down Mt. Sinai, the guide led them to the same trail they had used to climb in the dark. But taking a daylight view of this trail brought with it some "Uh,Oh's", and "Oh, my God's". The preacher declared that if he knew the trail they were climbing up Mt.Sinai was such a narrow trail where one misstep and your taking a long tumble downward, he never would've climbed it. On the trail you literally had room for only one step in front of the other. The point the preacher was trying to make in this story was:
Sometimes it is best not to know the steps that are in front of you in life because if you did know you probably wouldn't take them. And thus, your trust in God within those steps of your life wouldn't be there. If you can declare for 2011 what Psalm 27:1 says,
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
,then this year you will scale to great heights. Allow God to be your guiding light.
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