I have a mountain to climb…

For a very long time now, I have been keeping something buried that needs some attention. It’s something that has had power over me and does not belong in my life anymore. I’ve lived with it for a while because it hasn’t affected my everyday life. And I have gotten pretty good at coming up with some “homemade strategies” to help me deal with it when it does show up at my door. But lately it has been taking up residence inside my head too often and I want out.

I think it’s reminding me I have not properly delt with it. And if I’m going to lay it down and truly put it away, I must confront it. Come face to face with it so I can tell it to walk on by.

I have started this journey. It hasn’t been easy. I have wanted to bail 15 times and I haven’t even been doing it all that long.

Every time I want to bail, I very calmly and lovingly say to myself, “Stay with it Keleen, Stay with it.” 

I have a big mountain to climb. Sometimes when I look at the climb, I feel utterly overwhelmed.

Currently, you may have something in front of you that seems completely overwhelming. You can see the climb ahead of you and it is causing you to shake in your shoes. Trust me I get it. This is not my first rodeo and I’ve climbed harder mountains than this.

Sometimes we look forward to the climbs. We might have even chosen the hike. “This will be fun! Look…a rainbow!  A waterfall!”

But there are plenty of climbs we simply did not choose. I’ve made those climbs too. I would’ve rather found another way, found an easier path, or just plain opted out…but there were lives to save. Sometimes mine…sometimes a child…and there was no other way than UP! 

This is going to sound cliché and you’ve heard it before but still…listen to my words…

YOU CAN DO THIS!

How do I know? Because humans were made to do hard things. In fact, I would even be as brave as to say…we are supposed to do hard things. Everything that I have learned that has been worth keeping or talking about later, I learned while I was climbing a dang mountain. 

Listen, there were plenty of times on my mountain climbs when there was no “Rocky” music playing…not a sound at all. In fact, even the light that I was accustomed to was all the way out! When the darkness seemed so thick and so convincing that I was willing to just lay on down and call it. I did not have it in me. I could not see the point. I had searched for days, even years for an answer and it was not coming.

Here is the good news of this story. I am no longer in that place. 

The answers came. Slowly. The light trickled in. My strength was renewed, and I got up.

Eventually I made that climb. 

Standing a top of a mountain is really eye-opening right?  You can see so much more up there. I have often heard really smart people say, “Ahhh, it was so worth it. I wouldn’t have traded the climb for anything.” I find this especially remarkable when there are some obvious scars left from their journey. 

But amidst those scars is also a heart that is genuine and extremely compassionate. A wisdom that knocks you over when it’s spoken. And a grit that cannot be matched by someone who has never made a climb. I’ve been in the presence of those kind of people. It is a sight to behold.

Those people no longer climb alone. They turn into helpers who reach across the way to catch another whose climb has become too much to bear. They will sit with you. They will wait on you. They are not in a hurry. They know you are going to make it too. They are there to watch it happen. And when you do, they will weep with you as you take in that big, beautiful view.

CHANGE IT UP:

How do you face challenging climbs with courage?

1. Don’t worry about your speed. It’s ok to take time. Lots of time.
2. Don’t feel you need to explain your climb to everyone.
3. Allow trusted people to help you when it seems especially tough.
4. Reach out for professional help. Supportive climbs are often safer.
5. Sometimes social media can make climbs seem harder. Consider if that influence is helpful or hurtful.

See you at the top!