Rise To The Challenge
We woke up to bitter cold. I estimated the temperature at −15°. Shoving my feet into frozen boots was not only unpleasant, but soon painful. I tried to move my toes as much as I could to try to get some blood flowing, but I knew that they wouldn't warm up until I started to climb. We put on our crampons, stepped into our harnesses, grabbed our ice axes and roped together. We were most probably the first and only climbers to attempt this mountain during the winter, and the snow was so deep and the incline so vertical that it was impossible to step forward.
The first climber, by plunging in the ice axe and kind of swimming uphill on the knees would make somewhat of a trough. This made forward progress possible for the second and third climbers. By alternating the heavy work out front, we slowly made our way up the mountain. In addition to the deep snow, we had to traverse numerous rock outcroppings. This was a new and unpleasant winter experience for me. All of this added significantly to our sense of accomplishment when we finally stood on the summit.
So often in life, GOOD things require HARD things. There are even times when the BEST things require the HARDEST things. Following Christ is like that, Jesus never intended for our faith to be a simple add-on to an already busy life. He said that to follow him we must pick up our own cross and deny ourselves. But he also promised that this is the path to an abundant life now and for eternity. Rise to the challenge, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad
Jon Boone and I on the summit after 2 days of hard work.
Written on March 14, 2026
Posted in Daily Devotions