Day 206 Mountains, Meatloaf and Non Sequitors

Dear friends,

It happens on Mt. Everest every few years. Someone takes their chances with the unpredictable wiles of nature, and loses the bet. A 26 year old man died after standing on the summit at the top of the world a few days ago. It cost him his life. (For a fascinating book about summiting Mount Everest, check out “Into Thin Air” by journalist Jon Krakauer.)

Personally, making it to the top of Mt. Everest wouldn’t be worth the agony to me. I can respect people with a dream, but those kinds of risks don’t have enough benefit for the way I’m put together. But to climb the mountain of life with God, to live for something so much bigger than myself, that kind of risk/benefit gives me the proverbial thrill. There are lots of similarities between the physical climb to the top of the world and the spiritual climb up the holy mountain. Both require perseverance. Both demand focus. Neither can be accomplished without passion. And neither can be done alone.

Some stretches on the mountain are easier than others. Storms come, and cause delays. Winds blow that make us tougher for the trail. But the analogy breaks down at this point: no one has to perish on the mountain with God. Unlike frail human beings, he is able to uphold us if we get sick, or exhausted, or hurt. His unlimited power can get us to the top. The only thing that can stop us is our own will. The Great One is the ultimate cosmic “Sherpa”, doing the heavy lifting. Our job: just hold on to the rope, keep Him ever in view, and listen to his instructions. No one has to die at the top of the Mountain of God. Our bodies eventually wear out, but as The Book says, “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day…” When we reach the summit, that’s where the life that’s truly life just gets rolling…

(By the way, I have climbed quite a few mountains, and loved it. Especially in Colorado and Montana. Spent one 4th of July in Glacier National Park on the Highline Trail. Indescribable...)

On a completely different note, I thought you might be entertained to know another one of my “wierdities”. When I make meatloaf, after I throw all the stuff in, I have a game I play with myself to see how long I can take squishing the cold meat in the bowl with my bare hands. I have to run warm water over them a few times during the process, so I try to see how many seconds I can go before the pain gets too bad. Someone else out there must do that. Anyway, the meatloaf is fabulous! Had garlic smashed potatoes with it tonite too.

There is absolutely no connection between mountains and meatloaf, and if you can find one you get the gold star.

Glad to be backpacking with y'all.

Your friend on the pilgrim road,

Loriann