Climbing the Mountain – Reaching for God

Climbing the mountain can teach us many things about life and point us to God.  “And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.” Moses 6:63

As we hike the mountain, we can look at and contemplate the symbols, types, and shadows God provides.  If we look with eyes to see, we can learn much of Him and our journey back into his presence.

Today is the Summer Solstice. It is a day of most sunlight and begins summer. To help us remember that all light comes from God, we decided to climb the mountain and celebrate this day with Him.  “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

Each time we climb the mountain we learn many things that help us in our daily walk.  We’ve learned to take a notepad so we can remember the lessons of the day.  Writing our thoughts frees our minds to discover the next idea. We will share just a few of these insights.  

 

#1 It takes a Dad and a Mom to raise children.  Dad has much strength and bears a large load in the family while Mom carries and prepares bodies for the little ones.   In our home, the family wouldn’t function very well without Dad’s constant care. On the other hand, Mom’s weaker and well-worn body is essential in giving life.  Even after the baby is born, Mom is always near during the first year of the baby’s life.  Mother provides food, love, and emotional strength for the new baby.  

It’s been nine months since we climbed the mountain. Jennifer was 5 months pregnant with Emma the last time we made the ascent together.  Emma is five months old today.  We brought her along because she still needs her mother.

#2 About 15 minutes into the hike, Jennifer realized that she didn’t have her walking stick, so John ran back to get the stick. While Jennifer and Emma waited, a song of prayer came to mind.

In heaven they communicate with thoughts.  The voice is only used for singing.    The idea came to sing a prayer instead of speak it.  We discovered that when we sing our prayers it doesn’t sound vain or repetitious.  The more the words are sung, the deeper the meaning enters into our soul.  Here is a simple prayer and tune that came to mind.

Father in Heaven we thank thee for this day

For thy bounteous blessing each and every holy day

Father in Heaven we thank thee for this day

For thy bounteous blessing each and every holy day

Father, Mother we come to you today

Father, Mother into thy arms to stay

#3 Climbing the mountain is difficult and strenuous, but it is a journey to be enjoyed and cherished.  There is no need to rush to the top.  There are many beauties to take pleasure in.  When we are tired, we stop, rest, talk, and laugh. 

Jennifer is quite a bit slower than John, so John is designated as the scribe, and he writes down our thoughts and experiences.  John is nicknamed “Run – Rest - Write” and Jennifer is nicknamed “Steady Eddy”. 

Some might feel that they can’t make the journey quickly, so they give up.  It’s better to go slow and steady than to give up because we can’t go fast.”  Jennifer always makes it to the top of the mountain and back, even though it takes her all day to do it. 

As we tromp through the trees and brush, we walk single file. We enjoy the shade, and John leads the way.  On the barren hillside we walk side by side. We make the journey staying close together.

#4 About half way up the mountain, the slope gets really steep.  At this point, the mountain seems almost too difficult to climb.  It is so steep that when we look up, we see what looks like the top of the mountain.  When we get to what we thought was the top, we realize that the rest of the mountain was hidden from view by the sharp incline.  These pictures show two different inclines, one right after the other.  When looking at the first incline we can’t even see the second one.

When Jennifer was pregnant, John put his hand behind her upper arm and gave her extra strength to make this part of the journey.  Now that Emma is on the outside, he carries the baby and lightens Jennifer’s load.

This is so much like life. Sometimes it seems like we can only take one baby step at a time because the challenge is so demanding.  Even though we aren’t taking large strides, we gain the greatest elevation on the steepest slopes.  These are the times to keep pressing forward.  We still need to take the steps forward, and God sends help to strengthen us and make it possible.

In addition to having John’s help, Jennifer has a walking stick that she uses each time she makes this hike.  The stick is slightly curved.  On the way up the mountain the curve bows forward and is used to help pull her up the mountain.  On the way down the curve bows backward and helps brace her as she carefully descends the steep slope. John carries the stick when it isn’t needed.

In life as we look up, we think we see the top of the mountain.  When we get to what we thought was the top, we discover that much of the mountain is still ahead of us. We don’t see the beginning to the end. If we did, we might give up before we even begin.  As we tackle each obstacle, our confidence in meeting the challenge is increased.  We know what it feels like to climb, conquer, and obtain, and are willing to do it again.

As we look back to where we came from, we can see our progress. What used to be so high above our head is now low beneath our feet. We continue to look up and focus on reaching the top.  In the pictures, the yellow dot marks the top of the lower mountain that used to tower over our heads.

 

#4 The Kidron Valley runs along the eastern wall of the Old City of Jerusalem, separating the Temple Mount from the Mount of Olives. To come off the mount and go up to the temple, you must first go down.  The Jews sing the song of redemption as they are going down because they know that the descent is part of the ascent.

What goes up must come down, and those who willingly go down will be lifted up. Those who exalt themselves will be humiliated, while God exalts those who are humble and have been humiliated for His sake. “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” Matthew 23:12

Christ made the great descent and ascended up on high. “He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;” D&C 88:6

 
The first time we ascended the mountain, we thought we were at the top when we reached the ridge.  We were tired. When we looked up and saw a higher peak, we realized our journey wasn’t through.  To reach the higher peak, we needed to walk along the ridge.  There are three peaks with a valley in between each peak.  To go up, we had to go down.

Once we tried to take a short cut and walk across the front face to avoid the ups and downs.  Walking sideways on the steep slope was much more difficult than walking along the ridge and taking the ups and downs.

It is also difficult to descend the mountain. We have to watch every step and keep our balance.  It would be easy to fall and tumble down the mountain.  It is hard on the feet and legs as each step is braced.  

There are many ups and downs in life. Each experience stretches us in different ways. It’s all part of our round trip.  

A Morning Walk

It was a beautiful, cool morning to go for a walk. I decided to take the camera with me.  Jared was just finishing up his morning work as I walked by. I invited him to come along.  I enjoyed his company, and he was a great help when I needed to climb through barbwire fences.  He would hold up the wire and free me from the barbs that caught on my clothing.

The canal was full of water.  Jared thought we could get a couple of old logs and make a little bridge.  He might make it, but that’s not how I wanted to take my morning bath.  I preferred to walk along the canal until we came to the bridge even though it was a long walk. 

The cows started running as we approached the bridge.  They stopped and watched us pass by and cross. Then they continued running up the canyon.

Being in a field, on a mountain, or in a forest that is untouched by man does something wonderful for my soul.  God creates a beautiful landscape.  I didn’t see any perfectly manicured lawns.  Grass, flowers, sagebrush, bushes, and trees all grew together creating a beautiful masterpiece. 

My spirit loves running water. Water carries life and vitality to living plants and animals. Jared stopped several times to throw rocks into the water and create large splashes.  It’s instinctive to pick up a rock and throw it into the water as we walked along the edge of the canal.  

 

The bees were busily working to pollinate the flowers and produce honey.  It’s fascinating to watch them as they crawl all over the flower and do what they do. 

As I walked up the small mountain, a snake slithered out of the way avoiding my giant foot.    We looked down on the town below. 

It seems like Jared was always waiting for me to catch up to him.  One time, he stopped, took off his shoe, and felt the cold water as it ran under the bridge.

I noticed four animal pelts hanging on the fence.  I wonder why they are there. They’ve been there for a long time.

The first crop of hay was just cut.  The tractor was in the field baling the newly cut alfalfa.  

This morning I had time to enjoy God’s creations, pray, ponder, breathe in the fresh air, hear the sounds of nature, and appreciate all that God has done for me.  Here in the telestial world, God has created great beauty. I don’t comprehend the beauty that awaits me in the terrestial and celestial worlds.

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

A morning walk is a great way to start the day.  I came home feeling grounded, peaceful, refreshed, inspired, calm, and ready to follow the things God revealed to my heart.

Lazy Hikers

Tuesday we went on a family hike east of our home. The children wanted to hike up the big mountain. We didn’t think Marianne would make it but let her come because she really wanted to go with the family. We decided to take a shorter hike. The older children grumbled and said the hike was not challenging or long enough. On the other hand, Marianne complained that her little legs were tired and she didn’t want to keep walking.

We saw cows and calves along the way. The children admired the little newborn calves and thought they were really cute. They marveled at the size of the mother cows. As they passed the large animals, they looked carefully to make sure there weren’t any charging bulls amongst the herd.

We made a gentle circle around to the backside of the small mountain (on the right side, larger mountain is in the background on the left side) situated directly behind our home. We decided to climb the mountain from the backside because the incline is more gradual. When we arrived at the top, we looked Westward and saw our home and the town of Paradise.

After taking in the beautiful view, we came down the west side of the mountain. It’s pretty steep, and we had to be careful as we made our way. It would be easy to loose footing and tumble to the bottom. The children made it down the hill without difficultly. Mom was carrying Emma and didn’t have great balance. She held tightly on to Dad's shoulder so he could break her fall if she started sliding.

All the way down the hill, Joseph was a worried about how he was going to cross the upper canal, which had a little water in the bottom. He was relieved and got a big smile on his face when Dad picked him up and carried him across the canal.

We had a great outing, but the older children still had energy and wanted something more. A bigger, better, longer, more challenging mountain hike would be exciting and welcomed. So on Wednesday after school we did it.

Marianne wanted to go hiking, but had learned that she did not like big hikes. Mom said that Emma and she could go on a little hike while the big kids went up the mountain with Dad. She was happy and satisfied with that option.

Even though Joseph is a good little hiker, Dad knew he wouldn’t make it all the way. He had Emily, Rachel, Joshua, Crystalynne, and Jonathan start hiking and told them that Joseph and he would catch up to them on the 4-wheeler. Jared and his friend joined the older kids part way up the mountain.

Everyone met up and hiked to the top out a huge rock on the mountainside together. We spent some time talking, playing, and looking through the binoculars. It was a warm clear day, and we were high enough to view most of Cache Valley. What a awesome sight. The town and valley appeared so small below. Being on top of the mountain gave us a better perspective – a new way of looking at things.

The older boys didn’t stick around long. They ran down the hill and were on their own. A while later, the remaining group started to descend the mountain. When they got to the four-wheeler, they begged Dad to give them a ride home. Dad succumbed to their pleas, and four tired kids piled on the 4-wheeler with Dad and Joseph. Even though we drove slowly, it was better than walking after such a long trek.

Mom and Marianne were just finishing up their “little hike” and were coming up the driveway when the 4-wheeler overflowing with people came home. She called us a bunch of lazy hikers. That could be true, but the children still protested. They had just hiked 5-6 miles uphill and did not consider themselves lazy.