Sometimes I see pictures of people attempting to climb rock walls. I hear about people who scale various mountain ranges to get to the top. Part of me admires their sense of adventure and their agility skills; the other part of me thinks, 'Why in the world would they take such risks?' Is it an adrenaline rush? Is it them trying to conquer their fears? Do they even have any fears? Human nature can be a really interesting thing to try to understand; TRY being the key word. I don't think I will ever fully understand why people do some of the things that they do.
What things are there in your life right now that feel like the mountain you are trying to conquer?
- a struggling relationship; whether yours or someone close to you (sometimes watching someone you love struggle can be pretty hard on you)
- an unexpected illness that you're being forced to deal with
- a transition of some sort; financial perhaps or a career choice
- dealing with elder care
What has rocked your boat or turned your world (as you know it) upside down?
What effects is it having on you? Does it have you feeling overwhelmed? Have you lost your appetite or have you snacking a little too much because you're nervous? Are you laying awake at night worrying about all the what ifs and playing out all the possible scenarios in your mind? Are you worrying about things that you know you have very little control over? Do you find yourself wishing that if you only polished your crystal ball just a bit more, that maybe you'd find some of the answers you're so desperately looking for?
In a perfect world we could just Google our answers, but that's not reality. We can't just type our situation into our phone or ask Alexa to fix things. We need to deal with whatever life throws at us head on, with every ounce of inner strength and courage we can muster up. Sure, there are going to be days (lots of them) when we feel like we are being non-productive; taking one step forward and two steps back. But if we can find a way to turn our weaknesses (our fears, our doubts, and our unanswered questions) and turn them in to our strengths ... we may just get where we need to be.
We need to ask ourselves what it is that we really want and what exactly is holding us back. Do we have any control left in the situation? Do we have options? If we do, we need to go for it. Even if we think our chances are slim, I think it's always better to fight for ourselves than to give in and sit by waiting for someone or something else to dictate our future to us.
What's the worst that can happen? We try, but we fail? That's okay. It means we learn from our mistakes and our misfortunes and get back up and try again tomorrow. We talk to whoever will listen, we listen for ideas and suggestions, and we keep trying. We don't give up.
Decide what your mountain is made of and then decide if you can go through, over it, or around it. The important thing to remember is that rock wall climbers and those that tackle the mountain tops are generally never alone. Someone usually has their back. And someone has yours; your family, your friends, and our God.
Go for it ... you've got this! Let us know what we can do to help.
