Mountains are my favorite. I grew up in north central Montana. Not only did I have ample mountains available to feed my soul, but we had the northern Rocky Mountains close by. Let me tell you a little bit about the northern Rockies.
They are rugged. They are steep. And they are breathtaking. We had really cold winters where I grew up. There was usually lots of cold and a whole lot of snow. Naturally, the higher in elevation you climb, the worse the conditions. Because of this, these Rocky Mountain peaks weather extremely harsh conditions each year.
Jagged rocks, loose gravel, and uneven terrain can pull you down if you aren’t careful while hiking up in these mountains. Losing your footing is all too easy. You have to exercise caution by being smart, preparing for, and understanding your surroundings.
We kayak and swim the lakes, hike the trails, and of course treat ourselves to huckleberry ice cream. Plus their huckleberry ice cream has actual huckleberries, which is uncommon, because huckleberries cannot be grown domestically.
Yet somehow in these unfavorable conditions, huckleberries grow. The mountain sides have extremely lush and green vegetation. Both plants and animals flourish. Grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, moose, big horned sheep, and mountain goats are some of the larger animals that do well there. Somehow, they survive and even thrive. How is that possible given their harsh surroundings?
I have been thinking a lot about these mountains today, because they remind me of the obstacles we all face in life. Everybody has them. And we all experience different ones. But, regardless of who we are, they come. Some days they can fill our lives with intense storms that have no end in sight and others we can step back and feel peace amidst surly surroundings. How can we find calm and stillness when there is so much stormy weather?
I think about this a lot. The year 2020 has presented some obstacles for me. My physical health has taken a dive and often my mental health follows. Sometimes when you look at all your trials combined, they can leave you feeling overwhelmed. I have found that writing is therapeutic for me so I hope this post can bring myself and others hope. I was asked a year ago to share my story and experiences. I committed to doing so and because I have found strength from other’s who share their stories, I know I need to do it too.
My favorite book is The Book of Mormon. I have read it many times, but as we have studied it this year as part of our church curriculum called “Come Follow Me”, one family’s particular journey has stood out to me in ways it never has before. Following God’s command, this family crosses the desert, the wilderness, and the ocean to find a safe place to establish themselves. They face many sometimes seemingly insurmountable obstacles like hunger, thirst, fatigue, and death. Some of the family members spend their days complaining and rebelling against God, while others act courageously and exercise faith in God’s promises.
Family members on both sides of this equation traveled the same journey and faced many of the same obstacles, but their ability to not only survive, but also thrive had a direct relation to their trust in God. As these family members persevered, they were able to grow as individuals. The mountains they climbed refined them and they reached the top because of them.
This is something that brings me hope and provides me with courage to keep on keeping on. As I lay in bed day after day while my body experiences pain, as that physical pain causes the mental illness to peak, as another year of life passes My Cowboy and I without bringing us a child, we are being refined. We are growing and changing. We are being tutored on how to become the people God wants us to be. Learning the lessons He wants to teach us is never easy. It can be really, really hard. But the amazing thing is how that those very lessons that leave us wondering how we will survive are the very things that teach us to not only survive, but thrive.
I keep thinking of mountain goats. Mountain goats literally live in the steepest, most dangerous part of the Rocky Mountain peaks. They hang out high up and climb crazy steep cliffs. It is so interesting to watch them. Think of a rocky, steep place no living animal would possibly go and you will find them climbing it. Why can they do this? Simply stated, their bodies are built for climbing. Their special hooves provide them with the traction they need to navigate the most dangerous of places. These animals are provided with what they need to climb the mountains on their paths.
I have found the same to be true for me. Maybe my body is unwell, but I have the time and circumstances that allow me to rest. Perhaps my mental health causes severe bouts of depression and anxiety, but I have a husband and other loved ones who help me through it. Maybe I don’t have my own little ones to love and care for, but I have so many children in my life who share their love with me.
Mountain paths are filled with steep cliffs, unstable gravel, dips, deep ravines, and somehow we have to pass through them all to arrive at the top. Once we get there though, it is all worth it. The view is incredible.
I have to be honest, that view may not always come in this life for every mountain we climb. Answers to why we have to experience certain things may never become apparent, but the knowledge that God will help us bear our burdens, whatever they may be, brings perspective. Perspective brings peace. And peace helps us navigate the hard things with certainty. Certainty that it will all be worth it. None of our suffering is wasted. It is all for a purpose. And even when we don’t understand that purpose, God does. That is a really comforting thought considering He knows all.
Recently, My Cowboy and I watched a movie called “The Shack” for the first time. If you have never seen it, go watch it! The movie is so good and teaches a lot about life and how facing challenges can bring us closer to God if we let them. There is a scene in this movie where Sam Worthington is in a row boat on a lake. As he is rowing, the water turns black, then suddenly the row boat gets a hole and begins to fill with this black water. Terror overtakes him and he begins to panic. Once this happens, Jesus comes to him.
He tells Him to, “Look at me. Don’t think about the past. Don’t think about the pain. Look at me. Trust me. Just keep your eyes on me. I’m not going anywhere.” The black water symbolized the pain and terror the character had faced. It was causing him to sink and consuming his life. As he set his sights to Jesus, the water returns to its original state and the hole is stopped. This scene teaches that the Savior is always with us. He is there when we don’t know where to go. He is there when we suffer, when we are confused, when others hurt us. He felt that pain Himself so he knows how to help us through it. All we have to do is keep our eyes on Him and let Him in. It is a beautiful message.
When we are spent, when our strength is gone, when we don’t know how to press forward, He is aware of us in that moment, in every moment before, and every moment after. When bad things happen to us, He is there. His ability to take our hand and help carry our burdens is amazing, but we have to let Him.
Maybe your mountains are seeming a little too rugged and high right now. Some days are full of rocky patches, and sometimes we even might slip and fall a ways down them. Days when we can just sit by the lake and bask in the beauty and sun that surrounds us come too though. No matter what a day may hold, we can be certain there is always hope. We can trust in the hope that while the climb is never easy it is so worth it.
