Philippians 4:13 “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
One of the things my husband and I enjoy doing is walking in the hills and mountains. Unfortunately the weather often conspires against us, hampering the view when we reach the summit. I remember when we were climbing Ben Lomond in 2016. It was a pleasant gentle incline through the woods from the shores of Loch Lomond, with a more arduous path winding up through open land. As we approached the more rocky path, the mist came down, the drizzle became persistent rain, and the wind blew straight across our path. The waterproofs were donned, hoods up and tightly tied leaving just enough gap to be able to see our way – although, mist, drizzle and glasses are not a good combination!
My husband was a few feet in front, and did that thing where he stopped to let me catch up, and then set off once more as soon as I had reached him.
As we approached what looked like a near vertical wall of scree, we met walkers coming down from the summit.
“Are we near the top?” I asked wearily.
“You’ve probably got another 45minutes climb,” they said cheerily.
I could have wept!
However, I plodded on, and we reached the summit, apparently – the mist was like pea soup and the rooks hoping for some crumbs from our sandwiches could hardly keep up straight.
After taking the obligatory summit photo, we started to make our way down.
About a third of the way down, the rain stopped, the wind dropped and the mist lifted to reveal a majestic mountain top and the surrounding Loch. (A suggestion that we go back up to get the full view was quickly rebuffed!)
I could so easily have turned back and given up, I was very unlikely to get the best view from the summit at that particular time, however I was determined to try.
In our faith there are times when we might easily give up, it just seems too hard. What’s the point? We are unlikely to see the results of our ministry?
Paul says that he had learnt to be content in whatever situation he found himself, as it was God that gave him strength.
May we know that assurance that whatever hardship we are facing God can give us the strength, and that no mountain is too high to climb.