the climb.

I strongly dislike Miley Cyrus. Especially because sometimes I'm forced to see her on the ads that come up on YouTube as she sings, "Love, money, party" incessantly and tries to look sexy. I just want to shake her and scream, "There's money to life than being as shockingly raunchy as possible!!!" Poor thing.

But back in her Hannah Montana heyday, she had this song...The Climb (which, quite unfortunately, is currently stuck in my head). And, for better of for worse, it was part of my train of thought as I faced a climb of my own last week.

Last weekend, I had the absolute pleasure of spending several days in what might be the most beautiful place I've ever seen...Le Cinque Terre, or "five lands" in Italian. Nestled in cliffs, these five colorful towns are scattered across the Italian Riviera. The weather was perfect, the water was my favorite color and the food was fantastic! The little apartment we stayed in was wonderful as well...complete with a plethora of lemon trees in the garden. And I didn't overanalyze or think about my to-do list or make any plans and I wasn't responsible for anything or anyone...it felt like I could completely relax for the first time in a while.

And here are the pictures to prove it:

But why, you ask, is the title of this blog post "The Climb" if this weekend was so beautiful and relaxing?

Well, our last night there, we decided to embark on what we were informed was a "30-minute hike" to the the far end of the Cinque Terre coastline (we stayed in the last town, Monterosso). But what we expected to be a pleasant, relatively mild coastal walk turned out to be a rather steep hike to the top of the mountain at the far end of the Cinque Terre coastline, which, all in all, took us nearly two hours! 

We just kept following what we hoped was the right trail, and it just kept going...UP. At a certain point, I had gotten so far ahead of Courtney and her mom that I couldn't see or hear them anymore. Then I came to a sign that seemed to indicate that THIS was the beginning of the "30-minute hike." And then it really started going up. And it had already been a long day and it was almost dinner time and the sun was starting to set. But I thought, "I've gotten this far. Let's finish this!"

So up I went, with rather less water than was probably good for me and rather more huffing and puffing than I'd like to admit, all the while hoping I wouldn't have to climb back down in the dark and pondering what would happen if I fell or encountered an ax-murderer or a bear (are there bears in Italy?)...there would be no one to hear me scream...

But, throwing caution to the wind, I continued my ascent...not really knowing where this trail would take me or if there would even be a view at the top to make it all worth it. I just kept thinking about verses like Psalm 121:3 ("He will not let you foot slip--He who watches over you will not slumber") and prayed that would be true. And I felt Him with me, as I do most powerfully when I am alone and it's quiet and distractions are minimal (oh, that we would take more time to shut up and let Him speak).

And as I kept going I thought, Isn't life like this? We don't know what's coming around the bend in the path, and sometimes life is a sandy-toed stroll along the beach and sometimes it's a white-knuckled struggle up a mountain. 

Take it away, Miley...

"The struggles I'm facing

The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on

'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby..."

I can't believe I just quoted Miley Cyrus. Yeah. That happened.

Oh and by the way, there was an AMAZING view from the top, I got to see the sunset, Courtney met me up there and we walked back together, and I didn't break my ankle, fall off a cliff, get eaten by bears or axed to death by a psychopath.

I know we can't always have mountaintop experiences. Sometimes we do slip and slide all the way back into that valley. Sometimes the climb seems never-ending. Sometimes we just want to give up because the struggle just doesn't seem worth it.

But I hope at the end of this earthly life, I will feel like I did when I finally reached the top of that mountain. I hope I can say, along with Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." -2 Timothy 4:7