This blog was archived from April 27, 2015.
I've been trying to tell Dad for the longest time to start a blog. For the past 10 years since I've moved out of the house he has sent us weekly articles. Many of them are his sermons we don't get to hear, many of them are just inspirational messages. I think it would be great to start posting some of these from him on to our blog every now and then.
To those who don't know, my father is a pastor. It shocks some, it makes a whole lot of sense to others. He is my guiding light and the person I turn to for just about everything. He has a Hub Pages blog, or had one. Messages like this are just what I need to lift my spirits, and it's time I share! <3
Don’t Avoid Your Obstacles
If The Mountain Was Smooth, You Couldn’t Climb It
“Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13)
Someone once said, “If the mountain was smooth, you couldn’t climb it.” If you’re not experiencing resistance in your life as you press on, beware! You may not be moving higher. You may have reached a plateau, or even worse, you may have started on a slow but sure decent. Anytime you are moving upward in life you will be met by resistance. To ascend in life does not come without effort. The mountainside is littered with boulders, crevices, and jagged edges. Without these obstacles providing a hand or foothold, climbing would be impossible. You can’t rise in life without resistance just like you can’t climb smooth mountains.
Look at the obstacles in your life’s journey. What are the obstacles you face? How are you dealing with it? Do you get discouraged? Are you tempted to turn back? The natural tendency is to avoid obstacles altogether. Yet, these obstacles serve a purpose. Pressing ahead was not meant to be easy. Just like the downward pull of gravity, our lives encounter a spiritual resistance. You literally find yourself “straining forward” against this force. The day we stop pressing ahead is the day we start going downhill.
You must embrace life’s obstacles and setbacks. The lack of money, time or experience may be your most likely obstacle today. Although these obstacles may loom large before you, you must learn, like the apostle Paul, to see beyond them as you press on toward the heavenly goal. Just like climbing a mountain, the air gets thinner, your breathing gets harder, and your load gets heavier. Yet as you draw near the mountaintop, your view gets so much clearer. While weight resistance builds muscle mass, spiritual resistance will build the strength of Christ Jesus’ character in you—that’s the prize!
Featured above is Grandpa with Seb & Deets during a hike at Morrey Point. © 2009 All rights reserved.