While You Climb

Yesterday, I was driving down the road and approached a long and steep hill. A cargo truck that had been riding in front of me for the majority of my time on the road, suddenly began struggling up the hill. He was climbing with all his might, but the truck just couldn’t get up that hill except at a snail’s pace.

I made the comment to a friend that was with me, “Poor Mr. Truck, if I could, I would come up behind you and push you up the hill.” I looked, and all the people who were once behind us, were speeding their way around the slow truck. I prepared to do the same.

And it hit me: Lift As You Climb.

Lift As You Climb

All of us are on a journey. All of us have things we want to accomplish. All of us find ourselves in places where suddenly we hit a hill that is mighty difficult to climb. And it is during that time that we can easily get “siloed” in our vision, just trying so hard to climb the hill. Maybe even unintentionally, we become self-centered, mustering up every bit of the effort and energy we have, to climb our steep hill.

And yet, what would happen if we learned that we can help somebody up their hill WHILE we are climbing our own? What if we learned that there may be a “dual” intent in the heart of God for you to both climb your own hill and also help another climb up as well?

In several places in the Bible, this “dual purpose” is evidenced. The Good Samaritan shows us people who crossed paths with another “on the way” to wherever they had to go. While the religious and prestigious people chose not to stop and lift the beaten man, the Samaritan did. He lifted as he climbed.

And how often do we see, in the Scriptures, Jesus “on the way” somewhere only to stop to help, serve and heal. He was constantly lifting as He climbed.

Psalms 121:1-2 says, “I will lift up my eyes into the hills, for where comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth.”

Ponder for a minute: has someone ever reached out a hand to you when you were climbing a difficult road? How much did it mean to you? What did it do for you?

The Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, has lifted me SO many times in my climb.

So today, I want to encourage us to lift as we climb. While you are on this abundant life journey with Jesus, carry someone with you. Give them a lift. Boost their confidence in their Helper. Offer a word of encouragement; Scripture to lift their soul. Commend them. Lend a helping hand. What would our world look like if we all did as Jesus did?

Lift as you climb. 💙