The Mountain or The Valley?

It is said that if one climbs over 26,000 ft then it becomes impossible for the body acclimate. Your digestive system begins to shut down, blood oxygen dwindles, and your brain cells starve. According to one professional climber, "at altitude, you stay pretty busy trying not to die."

I happened upon this bit of information in an article entitled "Left to die on Mt. Everest," in the August 2006 4edition of Men's Health magazine, while I was experiencing what many of us like to term "a valley situation". while I am not able to divulge all the details of this experience, suffice it to say that my spirit was immediately lifted because the essence of the paragraph answered my questions to God regarding the disquietedness of the soul, which is: Human beings are not meant to live at a certain altitude, so learn to accept and deal with spending a majority of my time in the lowlands or valleys of life as my character is developed.

I also observed that the primary reason many people get involved in extreme sporting activities such as cresting mountains like Everest, is to seek after their own glory. While they are at altitude they spend every waking moment trusting their own abilities on how to stay alive because of the triumph, fame and praise associated with the ultimate achievement.

Like these extreme sports enthusiasts, Christians today spend a great deal of their time trying to accomplish their own agenda, while the Master's business is left undone. But the times indicate that we change our focus.

Unlike the end result of one's behavior having made it to the top of the mountain, in the valley you want to get out so badly that you are forced to dig your heels in and shift your focus looking to the One who alone has the power to restore and deliver you. In a time like this we cannot be seeking after our won glory for after all, "Its all about Jesus".