The Mountains and Hills of Life

Hello friend,

Have you ever wondered why the natural landscape is never smooth and flat all the way. It is usually undulating, variegated and seemingly inconsistent as one moves from one clime to the other. No two landscapes can ever be the same and no two climates have the same weather. But one stunning feature that most landscapes share in common is the presence of mountains or hills. They are the peaks that define the valleys and from them, springs burst forth to irrigate the low lands.

Even in the sahel regions of sub-saraharan Africa where the landscape is usually flat with stunted trees, the presence of hills, rocks and mountains make the view stunning. While flying in an airplane, the flat landscape doesn’t appear appealing as much as the mountain peaks that one can view from shutters of the aircraft to give one a bird’s eye view of the mountain and hill tops we’d hardly see while on the surface of the earth.

Though hills and mountains are stunning and awesome in appearance, they however are rugged and rough with peaks that look threatening in some cases. Not withstanding, mountains and rocks have smoothened portions as well and these smooth sections often are the burnished works of years of consistent rainfall that dropped relentlessly on the rough edges of the hills, rocks and mountains. In essence, the hills and mountains have a pot pourri of rough edges and smoothened surfaces when viewed from a holistic perspective.

As hills and mountains are inevitable components of our landscape, so are they in real life. Hills and mountains of life exist and the earlier we accept them as part of our existence the better our perspective in life would become. We often resent the sight of hills and mountains of life because our physical bodies are not configured to endure the rough edges of life. For anyone who wants to be a ‘mountain climber’ must be ready to endure hardship and be ready to have bruises and wounds. Our skin is so delicate that when it brushes against the rough edges of the hills or mountains, it breaks and oozes out blood. The soles of our feet may tear as one negotiates and makes effort to ascend to the top of the hill or mountain.

But climbing the mountains or hills without the right gadgets and footwear can be dangerous. Negotiating the heights without the right technical knowledge or requisite skills is also a trip in foolery as it’s utterly dangerous. But not attempting to climb a hill or mountain for lack of knowledge or skill is to surrender too early to defeat without having to try. Allowing the shear size or height of a mountain to overwhelm us is to surrender to fear of failure. We should try to face our mountains whether we think we have the ability to climb them or not…

Mountains can be climbed and history confirms this statement of truth. People have climbed to the summit of Everest. People have pitched tents at the top of Kilimanjaro. People have been planting and cultivating farms atop the Udi hills in Nsukka area of Enugu State. In trying to climb the highest of mountains, many lost their lives, many wounded and fractured their bones, many sustained injuries and much more. But in trying, they were able to conquer one thing that most people fear: The Fear of Heights!

When translated into life situations, those who attempt the mountains have inadvertently conquered the fear of failure which hold back many of us from fulfilling our true potentials. It’s better to step out and face the mountains of life that come our way each day. It’s better to face the fears that deflate our resolve, and make our hearts floppy when confronted with challenges that inevitably stand on our destiny-path.

God has called us to be champions and mountain climbers. He called Abraham, the father of nations ,to the top of Mount Moriah to confirm His covenant with him. He gave Moses the tablets of the Old Covenant at the peak of Mount Sinai. Elijah defeated the false prophets on top of Mount Carmel. When Jesus began his public ministry, he preached the popular beatitudes on top of a mountain in Israel. And when he wanted to display his glory and splendour, he took his closest buddies to the top of the Mount of Transfiguration. And when it was time for him to pay the ultimate price, and ransom for our salvation, he trudged up with the Cross, to the summit of Calvary Hills. It was at that elevated position that he died for us.

There is something interesting about hills and mountains. And if God can carry a heavy cross and make it alive to the top of that mount, then we can trust that he would help us climb our own mountains and conquer them. If Moses can survive for 40days atop a mountain without food, then we can be sure that the mountains of life cannot swallow us if we depend on God’s grace.

So friend, you can tap into that grace today, and turn your mountains into mole hills, and your hills, into plain and flat grounds. For the God of the mountains and hills, of the valleys and lowlands, is still God. He promised to never leave nor forsake us. That’s a great consolation….!

Shalom and cheerio.