It's Worth the Climb!

It’s Worth the Climb!

I always find it amazing how God uses various means of communication to speak to us. Granted, His primary source of speaking is His Word. However, He also speaks through nature and His creation. This morning, I had settled in my mind that I would have a nice, quiet walk—and just talk to God. The walk started out pretty calm, then as I began to pick up the pace, it got progressively intense (of course, I anticipated this). As I continued to walk, several people either ran pass me, jogged, walked really fast—and some were simply coasting/just enjoying their morning walk. As each person passed by, we spoke, smiled, said good morning—and kept it moving.

Half way around the track, something interesting happened…I felt an urge to push a bit harder—and climb the hill! Granted, this was NOT in my plan for this particular morning. I had ZERO intention of climbing 🧗‍♀️ that hill today—and I certainly did not understand where this ridiculous idea was coming from. 🤦🏾‍♀️ But, I couldn’t shake it—so before I knew it, I was walking across the street which led to the hill! And guess what!? I started climbing! 🧗‍♀️ Half way up, I thought to myself: “Are you nuts 🥜? Who does this?” This was not in the plans for today! Turn back around! But…I could not stop my legs from climbing up that hill! Thus, I kept going—and I kept climbing! No one was there to encourage me, push me, or even save me if I suddenly passed out! 🤣 I simply pulled from within—and I literally said this out loud to myself: “Come on Girl...you CAN DO THIS!” I was breathing hard, I was out of breath, but I was not stopping until I reached the top! And guess what, I DID IT! It took a moment for me to gather myself, so I stood still and just absorbed the view. It was beautiful! It was refreshing! It felt amazing!

Then suddenly, God begin to speak to me prophetically (He begin to accurately describe the meaning behind this particular climb)! The “sudden” shift to climb was symbolic of how we generally plan things out, with full anticipation of them going a certain way. We see others in passing, doing their “thang”—we support them, we root for them, we smile at them, etc. We’re feeling great; we are excited about our own/personal progress—and we’re just soaking in the moment. But what happens when God tells us to shift—go another direction—there is a higher goal to achieve, and you will never see and/or reach it from ground level/where you are now! This view and/or goal can only be accomplished if you’re willing to climb that really tall, unleveled hill! What do you do? Do you follow your gut—and climb? Do you stay on the path that you initially set out? Do you look and see what the others are doing? This was simple, but it grasped my heart and took me into an entirely different mental space. Despite all of my complaining and visions of myself tipping over (because this was not part of the plan), I could NOT stop myself from climbing! I was made to MOVE! I needed more! My body was not satisfied with mediocre. I had done this long enough! I needed more—and I was determined to give my body, my mind, and my soul what it was longing and thirsting for! My muscles needed to break forth! It was time to shed some weight in some hidden areas—and this was the only way I would ever achieve those goals! Walking was great—but it produced limited results! Hence, while on the track, I saw some walking faster than others—and some were even jogging! It finally clicked…I cannot keep doing the same thing—yet expecting to get different results! I needed to climb higher! It wasn’t planned…it wasn’t easy…but it was necessary for my success!

The other powerful thing God so clearly revealed to me was the peace that came with reaching the top of that hill! It was calm—and I could now look down and see things that ground level just did not reveal. And the other thing I noticed…the ground was flat at the top! I literally chuckled to myself! Like, really?! I almost loss my life climbing this steep, bumpy hill—and the ground up here is FLAT! Its smooth/even! It represented a place of rest, relaxation, greater perspective, and a leveled place to prepare for the next climb! So, if you’re thinking, “how does this apply to me?” I’m glad you asked…maybe it’s time to make that “hard” climb—and do the unthinkable/the impossible! Many times, we become comfortable where we are. We become comfortable with our surroundings, and we prefer not to be pushed too hard. We convince ourselves that we are pushing as hard as we can (because it’s slightly challenging). However, it’s still not producing the desired results. We look at others—and we compare ourselves, failing to realize that we are different, and are ultimately moving at different speeds—and are in totally different lanes. But…what if God is telling you to JUMP off of that track…leave your place of comfort—and make the BIG Climb! Will you answer the call? From personal experience, and what I absolutely know to be true about God—I would encourage you to get some trusted/wise advice, then make that CLIMB! The view is better—and the benefits are endless! Don’t fall back into fear! Even if you have to do it scared—DO IT! Whatever you do… Just don’t settle for ground level blessings! God has MORE!

Blessings,

Canena Adams, LLBSW, MA, SRAS

Women of Worth, Inc.

Founder & Director

Sexual Risk Avoidance Specialist

1000 E. Porter St.

Jackson, MI 49202

Ph: 517-395-6004

Email: Worthit@wowjackson.org

Web:www.wowjackson.org