Give Up

I have often told people that climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is a metaphor for the extreme challenges many face in life.  In fact, most people who have climbed the great mountain say that the mental challenge is greater than the physical.  The hardest day is summit day - it is a day that starts at midnight at temperatures near zero (-18C), climb almost 4000' at an elevation where there is precious little oxygen.  It is a day of nearly 14 hours of climbing and descent.  This is the time when most GIVE UP without reaching the summit that they have dreamed of.

Here are just a few quotes from those who have done it already:

"It is cold, challenging and hard work. Walking up hill at extreme altitude for 8 hours can take it’s toll. You need to walk super slowly especially high on the mountain. The last two hours up to Stella point are hard and you need to mentally focus on each step, get your breathing right and dig deep. You have been walking for 4/5 hours and this is usually where people start questioning their ability to reach the summit."

 "At this point she was feeling delirious as she dropped to her knees in exhaustion. She reached for her clif bar but it was frozen. She tried to pull out her water but that was frozen too."

“Today was one of the toughest days of my life.  We awoke at 11pm after about 3 hours of restless sleep and began to get ready for our summit bid.  It was incredibly cold out and much breezier than it had been when we went to bed.  I’m not gonna lie… the climb felt like it was taking forever and the “crater rim” where we would top out and have an easy traverse to Uhuru Peak just never seemed to be getting any closer in the distance above us.  When we were nearing 19,000 feet I was having a really tough time.  In a situation like this it becomes more your mindset and less the current state of your body.  We passed many people that turned around and were heading down, and even some people being carried by porters.”

These are just a few examples of stories relayed by people who have climbed the mountain.  There are literally thousands of stories just like this.  Overall, the success rate for reaching the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro is around 40%.  That means 6 of 10 people making the climb GIVE UP.  Many are because of altitude sickness, but many more are because people can't overcome the difficulty in their minds.

It is easy to GIVE UP and a struggle to PRESS ON.  How many of us have said at some point in our lives when faced with a particularly difficult situation I GIVE UP.

• Relationship challenges seem insurmountable so a couple GIVE UP and get a divorce;
• School is not going well so the student GIVES UP and drops out;
• A job is stressful or co-workers are impossible to work with so you GIVE UP and quit;
• Bullying by other students is too much to live with so the child GIVES UP.

And this is just a short list.

Our faith walk has many similarities to climbing the mountain.  In fact, my journey to even start this journey has been full of GIVE UP moments, and I continue to face them daily.  There is something about doing God's work that the enemy just hates and does everything possible to cause us to GIVE UP.  Like those climbing the mountain, we are faced with a decision - do I GIVE UP or PRESS ON?  Obviously, not every decision is a simple one that has a simple answer.  Sometimes pressing on just gets you deeper into a bad situation.

It is in these moments that we need to turn to God and ask "what do I do now God?".  Personally, I have found that the need to PRESS ON means pressing closer to God.  The other thing I have found is that God is far more capable than I am (seems like that should be obvious, but it's not always the case).  I am constantly reminded that God is with me and it is His work, not my own.  I am just blessed to be part of His work - though the path is often difficult.

There are many examples in the bible of people facing challenges and overwhelming odds against them.  One is found in 2 Chronicles 20 where Jehoshaphat and the Israelites are facing an overwhelming enemy coming against them.  The people pray to God for help and His response to them in verse 15 is:

And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 

As I face the disappointments, challenges and adversities in this journey, I choose to PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL FOR THE PRIZE OF THE UPWARD CALL OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS.