"I came that they may have and
enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)." (John
10:10 AMP)
Last week, in MOUTAIN TOP EXPERIENCES, Part 2, we
discovered that it is in the "valleys" of life that we can best experience God's
power. But didn't Jesus say that He came to bring us life abundant? How can all
of these problems add up to an "abundant" life?
The summer of 2004 found my family on the northern
peninsula of Newfoundland, preparing to climb Gros Morn. Our vacation agenda
included hiking this 806 meter mountain, the highest peak in Eastern Canada, and
there we were, at 2:00 in the afternoon, with about half a liter of water and a
couple of oranges, setting out to fulfill our dream. Little did we know that it
is an 18.3 km trek, and little did we know that hikers are advised to begin this
climb in the morning to ensure adequate daylight, and to take plenty of food and
water!
Sometimes ignorance is bliss!
We had hiked about 4 km when we came to a fork in the
trail. To the right was a traditional path, winding around valleys and hills and
meandering its way for five kilometers before reaching the summit. To the left,
a rocky slope led straight up.
My husband, who had not yet developed his love of
hiking, and our youngest son, who was only 9 at the time, made the wise choice
at this point: They decided to return to the car and go for ice cream!
My older son, who, at age 11, was already a mountain
goat at heart, turned pleading eyes in my direction. I instantly knew that he
would not willingly return to the car.
Loath to break his heart, I stared at the two choices.
The trail to the right didn't look that rough, and it was only five kilometers
to the top. Maybe … But that also meant five kilometers back as well, plus the
other four we had already hiked, a total of fourteen more kilometers. There's no
way we could hike that far in the lingering hours of daylight!
Reluctantly my eyes went to the left. It would be a
treacherous climb up all those loose rocks, but I could see the summit, and it
wasn't that far away!
"We can do it, mom!" Pleaded my son. "We'll be back
long before dark!"
And so we set out, and after just a few moments of
huffing and puffing, my son and I crawled (literally!) To the top of the rise .
. . Only to find . . . Another path just as long, over just as loose of rock,
and even steeper than before, to a ridge high above! The "summit" we had seen
from the valley below wasn't the summit at all!
This pattern repeated itself several times, and it was
nearly an hour later, about 5:00 p.m., when we finally attained the top of Gros
Morn. We were exhausted, we had long ago used up our water, and the only quick
way down was to sit on our bottoms and "slide" down those loose rocks. Not a
very promising prospect!
Of course, there was always that other way, the little
meandering trail that threaded its way down the mountain for five kilometers …
Needless to say, we took the "long way home", but we
did it in record time. The entire hike took us only 5½ hours, and we were back
at the car long before dark.
Abundant life. Does it mean a nice little
well-manicured trail that wanders through quiet woods, beside a cool, calm
spring?
Friends, I've been over plenty of trails like this,
and often they do lead to beautiful places. But any time I've ever tried to
attain a mountain peak, the trail, when it exists, is steep, rocky, slippery,
and, often enough, dangerous!
Is it worth it?
All I can say is this: It isn't the view from the top
of the mountain that I find exhilarating. It's the fact that I've overcome steep
trails and slippery slopes! It's the fact that I've persevered over rock and
crag! It's the thrill of the climb that makes the view from the top all the more
precious!
It's the same in life. Abundant life doesn't mean a
life without problems. Rather, the mountain top experiences are made all the
more precious by the fact that we've had to overcome those problems! That we've
had to rely on God to get us through the valleys! Only then can we truly
appreciate our mountain tops!
Yes, Jesus did say He came to give us abundant life.
But He didn't say that abundant life meant a life without problems. He simply
said that it would be a full, overflowing life. Abundant life comes from relying
on Jesus, not to take all of our problems away, but to carry us through them!
Friends, with Jesus at our side, abundant life IS the climb!
So the next time we find ourselves in a "valley"
experience, let's not wish away our problems. Instead, let's rely on Jesus to
get us through. Then and only then will we experience true "abundance" in life,
and only then will we fully appreciate the next mountain top!
Okay, that may be all fine and good. But really. Why
do I have to spend most of my life in the valley? I mean, I don't think I've
been on a mountain top yet! Why, why, WHY???
If you can relate, then join us next week for MOUNTAIN
TOP EXPERIENCES, Part 4: Climbing Mt. Washington.
Lyn Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.