THIS TIME, YOU GAVE ME A MOUNTAIN

Greetings! I come with the blessings of the Father and the Son. I come at your bidding with love, to
speak to you about the mountains and valleys in the life of man:

The song This Time You Gave Me a Mountain is a song composed about the high and the low
situations in human lives. I come to tell you about a spiritual mountain that, when climbed with God
as your leader, will take you to the top of your mountain. But you must follow his lead and his
commands to you, for on this climb you will encounter many stumbling blocks, so you must pay
close attention to this master climber and guide, who will lead you up the mountain until you reach
the pinnacle of your life.

Each man is given his own mountain to climb in his lifetime. Some ascend to the top early on in their
lives without any stumbling blocks. For some, it is a tougher course, but, easy or tough, all climb it to
attain the goal of this life.

You often hear and read of mountain climbers who climb famous mountains in the world. Why [do
they climb]? If asked, they will tell you many reasons, "It is a challenge. It's a sport, like baseball and
swimming." They will say that it's not an easy feat, that it is extremely dangerous, tiring, and very
difficult, but the reward of reaching the top is worth it. They will say that when they reach the top of
the mountain, they feel a joy of accomplishment, an exhilarating feeling, a true sense of peace found
no other place on earth. But they will also say that it is not an easy task. It can be a rugged, tough
assignment. Most of all, a strong will to succeed and determination to reach this goal or destiny is
needed. They attribute their success to a good guide, good advice, good equipment, and a yearning
desire to accomplish the ultimate.

God the Father has given each man a mountain to climb in his journey back to him. To begin the
journey, man must desire to climb this mountain and seek out the best guide and equipment and ask
God to help. Being a loving Father, God starts his people climbing small hills to test their strengths.
These hills are not too difficult; there will not be many adversities to overcome. God leads his people
over beautiful terrain and pretty streams where they may quench their thirst. They can feel his love
for them in the beauty that surrounds them. The valleys that they encounter in their climb are not too
far below, and they can see the twinkling lights of the valley. They feel refreshed and exhilarated at
the feat in climbing this hill. It doesn't seem to be that difficult and is rather a smooth course, without
too many stumbling blocks.

The Father has now tested man's strengths and weaknesses and so feels that man is ready to take on
a tougher assignment in his climb to the pinnacle of the mountain. But the Father realizes that man will
not be able to accomplish this feat on his own, so, being a loving Father, he sends two special guides
to his people to show them the way.

God sent mankind his beloved Son, Jesus, to pave the path to the top of the mountain. After the Son
cleared the passage for the people, he stayed with them to teach them, to instruct them, to warn
them of the dangers they would encounter on their journey. He taught them how to use the special
tools they would need to accomplish their feat. He told them that each mountain would be different,
but that he had cleared each passage and mapped the way for each soul so that each soul could
attain its pinnacle of life with ease--but each soul must follow his rules and guidelines. The special
tools would be most important on their journey, so he taught them how to use these special tools
designed for them so that they would reach their destination. He blessed each one and sent them on
their journey, and then he left them to attain this feat. He told them he would send another guide to
stay with them until they reached their goal.

The next guide was then brought in to attend the people. The Holy Spirit was sent as a special guide
to lead them on the rest of the journey. So now all are ready to ascend to the top of their own
mountains and to find their destiny among the higher elevation.

Our guide as been sent to us, and we should acknowledge him with love and respect and trust him to
lead us on our climb up the mountain. We should put our whole faith and trust in him because we
know that he knows the way, and he will lead us on this pathway that Jesus has prepared for us and
keep us on the narrow path up to the mountain top. We trust him, for we know he has been given to
us to guide us and to keep us from the dangers and pitfalls that may befall us as we travel our course.
We know that we must keep our focus on him at all times and listen to his directions every day
during our quiet times of rest.

We are given a rope, to place around us, that is attached to our special guide. We are warned that if
we detach ourselves from this rope, we might wander off from the straight path prepared for us and
become lost in the wilderness where we may encounter many difficult obstacles that will prevent us
from finding our pathway back to the prepared path. We are instructed that we have a choice of
following our special guide on this journey up the mountain or of detaching ourselves from him,
thinking we can find the top on our own.

Our journey begins. We begin to ascend the mountain of our life with the special guide provided for
us leading the way. At first, we are very excited, and we listen with trust to the instructions given to
us by our guide, for we know that he is special. We are delighted by the beauty of the scenic paths,
the smell of the fresh mountain air, the lovely lakes and flowering trees. After some time has passed,
some begin to venture off in another direction. Sometimes it seems more exciting to take the
forbidden path, to try a different path on our own, in order to discover our own potential to climb
this mountain in our life. After all, it does not look that difficult. It doesn't seem that high. Everything
is so pretty! What harm would it be to wander a little? We are getting tired of the same routine,
staying on the same path. We want to be more adventurous, more in charge of our lives, so we
detach ourselves from our guide and wander on our own.

Our journey seems to be going well without our guide. We feel healthy in body and mind. We have
the most expensive tools, and we have the monetary means to buy more if we need to. This path is
so scenic, so inviting! Surely it cannot be dangerous or difficult. We think that we will just venture
onto this path for a little while, and when we get tired of it, we are intelligent enough to find our way
back to the first path. We feel exhilarated, so fresh. We feel like a new person, independent of
anyone, free to do as we please, free to make our own decisions regarding the course of our lives.
Everything is so beautiful, the water-falls, the lakes, the meadows. We inhale this beauty and we feel
fulfilled. We are not afraid, and we feel proud that we have discovered this path without the help of
anyone.

We begin to climb higher and stray farther away from the protected pathway. Suddenly, we begin to
experience obstacles that cause us to falter. The tools given us are unused and forgotten. We
become tired and disenchanted. We eat of the wrong food and drink unclean water, so our bodies
become ill. We are weak in body, but we do not let this stop us because we are consumed with a
feverish desire to become the first to reach the top of the mountain, on our own, without any help.
Our pride overcomes our senses, and we reach a fork in the road. One sign says, "If you go this
way, beware of the animals." The other sign says, "If you go this way, beware of falling rocks."
Which way should you go?

You wonder which path the others took, but you have strayed so far from them, you must make
your own choice. Surely it cannot be that difficult. So you take the path that warns you of falling
rocks. You travel this route and discover many beautiful sights--waterfalls, lakes, springs, and
meadows with beautiful flowers. You are filled with an arrogant confidence that you have made the
right decision, and so you travel on. You are going along without any problems. Everything seems to
be going well, so you continue to climb. All of a sudden, you see a storm brewing in the distance, so
you try to find a shelter to protect you from the approaching storm. However, the storm comes too
fast, and now you have no place to go. You are being pelted on all sides by the rain. You are cold
and afraid, and, most of all, the pathway becomes slippery and rocks begin to fall onto your path.
Some are small enough to push aside and continue, but the path is getting more hazardous. The
rocks are becoming larger, and you are finding difficulty in moving them from your path. You try and
try, to no avail. The rocks will not budge, and your efforts seem hopeless. What can you do? You
are filled with despair, and you feel terribly lonely and helpless. You wish you could find the group
you started with but know that they have gone on without you, and you are alone in your misery. So
you turn your thoughts to selfish despair. This journey is too difficult. Why did the guide not try to
find you? Why did he leave you to flounder on your own? It is all his fault! If he were truly an
efficient, knowledgeable guide, he would have prevented you from straying off the path. Oh, yes, he
warned you, but he did not prevent you from straying. So now you give in to self pity, bitterness, and
doubt, and you begin to lose faith. You are at a turning point. You can do two things: you can give
up and die in this wilderness, or you can try crying aloud, hoping the guide is near enough to hear
you and come to your rescue.

If the second choice is taken, you will cry out until you are limp with sorrow and ask forgiveness for
the mess you have caused in your journey. You ask for a second chance, and suddenly your
discover the special tool given to you at the start, one that you had forgotten. It is a little rusty from
not being used, but you clean it up and begin to use it over and over-- prayer. One clear night, just
as you begin to think all is lost, you see a flash of light above you, and you think you are hallucinating.
You close your eyes and use your special tool once more. All of a sudden you open your eyes and
see the flicker of a candle in the dark. You hear the voice of your guide coming to rescue you,
saying, "I heard you crying in the night and came to find you and rescue you and bring you back to
the prepared path. You must trust me from now on. You must not question my directions. I forgive
you, and I promise to lead you to the top of your mountain."

Rejoicing, you follow the guide once more. You never question his council. You are humble and
grateful. You acknowledge his authority and are mindful of his warnings about the dangerous
obstacles along the path. You climb and climb, higher and higher, never doubting, holding onto the
rope securely attached to the guide and using the special tools given you.

The light is becoming brighter and brighter, and you know you are near the top. You know, in your
heart, you are finally reaching the end of your journey. With a loving smile, the guide lifts you over
the top to your final destination, and as you climb up, you realize your mountain does not have a
top--you have ascended up and reached infinity! You feel exhilarated like never before. You feel
such peace, and you feel loved. You have made it! Your guide then lovingly detaches the rope
around you, takes you by the hand, and brings you to a beautiful edifice where he introduces you to
the first guide, Jesus, and then to the heavenly Father.

Study this story and see how it relates to your journey of life. I, your heavenly guide, stand ready to
place the rope around you and attach it to me so that, together, we will ascend to the top of the
mountain, where you will find your paradise and be welcomed by the Father, by Jesus, your friend
and savior, and by your loving guide.

THE HOLY SPIRIT