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Peering through the clearing fog as we approach in the morning hours with the lingering of the night’s dreams still melting in our minds, I hold a doubt that any of us can more than glimpse its awesome truth.
It stands tall and strong—stoic in its stature and presence. Many names have been cast and many a man has traversed its jagged edge in hopes of being blessed by the God who dwells within its cavernous heart.
From a distance, and in the resounding air of the triumphant stories from those who have climbed yesterday, we glean a tone of romance as we imagine our own besting just tomorrow. It is only when we stand looking up, bathed in the immense shadow of the mountain, that we begin to gain an understanding of its exact toll.
To climb atop this giant is not for the weekend warrior who fails in his respect for the necessary craft. It is not for those seeking the quick win or those who imagine the easy score to propel them into the spotlight of fortune.
To cast your gaze onto the cold stone face is to peer into the eyes of truth as it tears into your soul. There is nowhere to hide.
It is here, at the base of the mount, that we come to choose once and for all, where our dedication lies or lies to us.
When we claim a new pathway of growth, we do so with limited awareness of what it actually takes to arrive at the imagined destination. If we knew the whole of the arduous journey, we would never step a single foot in its direction.
But there is a moment when the door squeaks open just enough for us to glimpse the veracity of our claim and be leveled by its magnitude, that we will choose to either cower in its charge or carry forward into the vastness of its unknown reward.
The riches that will befall our decision to venture forward may not be gained with the ease we had first carelessly imagined—it will require commitment, perseverance, and humility. We must first accept the fact that we don’t know what we don’t know.
It is only here in the knowledge of our ignorance that we can cast aside our illusions of what lies ahead and see honestly, the mountain for what it is—the great and timely crucible for this stage of our life.
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Photo by Neil Rosenstech on Unsplash
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