AIM is all about team builders and on Friday Com Life participated in another grueling yet exciting adventure.
We drove an hour away to a beautiful state park with gorgeous lakes, waterfalls, hiking trails and more. Without knowledge of what the plans for the day were we were told to grab a length of rope from a bag. The pieces of rope had different colors on the ends and they were all of different sizes. I ended up on the green team.
Each team was handed 4 envelopes. The first envelope instructed us to tie ourselves together with the rope and climb the mountain to the top of a waterfall. We had to stay together and not open any more instructions before reaching the to or risk be disqualified.
Our team began the trek up the hill. All the while my mind was racing. While I can walk for great distances with no problems, going uphill with dislocated knees and no cartilage can be daunting. I was thinking that I can’t do this. Here I am again without my knee brace, proper shoes, compression pants etc. I had to make a decision to continue with the team or risk having all of us disqualified. I kept my mouth shut and pressed on until we came to a small overlook and sign stating we had to climb 175 stairs!!! Stairs are a no-no for me. Bone rubbing against bone is no fun on asphalt much less a bunch of stairs. I told the team no way. Not doing it sorry. They would have to go on without me. Kash suggested staying back with me and the others moving on. Barton suggested we all go or no one goes. I wasn’t having any of that. I already hate to admit “weakness” in any form to anyone and I wasn’t going to let them miss this opportunity because of my issues! After much discussion we came up with a comprmise. We would go on allowing me to set the pace and if I felt like I needed to turn back we would. Everyone placed their hands on my knees and began to pray. We then took off and made it up the stairs to the overlook. What a sense of accomplishment until further down the path we saw a sign sating we had 425 more steps to go to reach the top. AARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I decided a few years ago that the enemy isn’t going to have control of my body and I began praying silently as we moved on.
Needless to say we slowly but surely made it up the steps and to the top of the waterfall. It wasn’t easy, not without pain but we did it together. There were lessons learned in humility, prefering one another and literally walking by faith. All of us had to die to self in some aspect and allow God to be in control. Important life lessons and spiritual lessons were learned.
This journey we call life isn’t always easy. (Rarely easy in my case!) The Lord doesn’t promise easy, He promises that He will be with us through it all. We have to be willing to include Him in all aspects of our life. He is patiently waiting to be invited in.
Friday wasn’t a day without struggles and even after coming down from the mountain we had to work through other issues. We can’t let the struggles be our focus but rather focus on the Victory we have through Christ. He saw us through climbing this mountain and He will see us through other “mountains” in our lives, if only we allow Him.
