Mountain Top Experience

By joannsblog2016 on July 5, 2026 • ( 0 )

“THE WAY JESUS SHOWS YOU IS NOT EASY. RATHER, IT IS LIKE A PATH WINDING UP A MOUNTAIN. DO NOT LOSE HEART! THE STEEPER THE ROAD, THE FASTER IT RISES TOWARDS EVER WIDER HORIZONS.” St John Paul II

How do you view your seasons of difficulty? Do you allow these seasons to overwhelm you? Or do you face them head on with determination and perseverance?

Climbing a mountain can be difficult, physically, especially if you’re not in the best shape. Persevering through difficult times can also be exhausting and challenging when you are struggling with your faith.

I love this quote by St John Paul II. Jesus never promises us an easy path. In fact, it is through the difficult path that we experience deeper spiritual growth and a closer relationship with Him. It is through perseverance in this climb that the horizon is wider and the view is magnificent.

My daughter and I hiked a little up a mountain in Quebec recently. During this 8-9 km hike, I found myself struggling physically. As we ascended, I stopped a few times to catch my breath as my heart rate raced. As I would experience these small moments of rest, I’d gain energy to persevere the hike.

As I walked the path laid before me,I reflected on life – my life. There were so many parallels to my life as I journeyed this hiking trail. The path was winding, the trail would divide into a fork. Oftentimes, our path was blocked, and we had to take another route. Trees and boulders crossed the path, causing a bit of a challenge to navigate. Small creeks ran through the path, and tree roots were a constant. Occasionally, the best aroma of fresh pine would surface through the air. Not just any pine smell. It was the smell of a freshly cut Christmas tree, filling the space as I continued to move forward.

Each of these things spoke to me. Each represented a trial, an obstacle, a milestone, a moment of vulnerability, or a source of hope.

On my journey, I experienced very steep climbs. Some of those climbs I thought I’d fall off the side, plummeting to the bottom. The forks revealed the many choices I had in life. I could choose a life I grew up knowing, filled with drugs, alcohol, partying or I could choose a life that had more purpose, without drugs. I could choose a life filled with toxicity or one that breathed peace. I could choose a life conformed to everything in this world, one without faith, love and hope or one grounded in faith, love and hope. I made some choices that were good, some that were not. I chose some that were very difficult and some that were easy.

These choices each imprinted on who I would become as my faith grew deep roots that God would nourish along this steep journey.

Which brings me to the roots along the hike that were above the surface. As I crossed over all the roots, I realized they represented my vulnerability, which has led me toward healing, layer by layer. It’s so difficult to be vulnerable. Once I allowed myself to, I began to break down layers of pain I held in my heart. I’m still breaking through these layers, roots that have penetrated within the core of my being. Some of these layers have shaped so much of what I fear, and become anxious about. Subconsciously, I don’t realize how they also shape my decisions, my reactions and my self-protection.

The last few weeks, several things have highlighted the need to surrender more. I’m beginning to think that I will spend a lifetime learning how to fully surrender. Today in the homily at Mass, the deacon reminded me that total surrender is conforming myself in relationship with Christ, an intimate union. These fears, anxieties, and instinct for self-preservation are not mine to bear alone. He wants so much to help me climb the mountain, carry my burdens, and give me much needed rest on the journey. Of course that’s still not an easy road. I’ll still have the boulders, the fallen trees, and creeks in my path, but I can overcome those with a peace that does not drain life from me but fills me with the freshness of that pine-filled aroma.

As you continue your own journey today, may you cultivate an intimate relationship with Christ and courageously climb the mountain before you. May its winding paths and obstacles lead you to a magnificent view where the horizon stretches wide and peace is magnified.