A story about a girl and a mountain

She was tired of seeing the same mountain before her. It seemed it had been there, taunting her, most of her life. 

Throughout the years, she heard the stories of those who had climbed & conquered it. They spoke of its challenge, the fight to get to the top. 

She told herself, “They were girls who climb mountains.”

As she overheard their stories of climbing, time and time again, she reminded herself that 

she was the girl who couldn’t climb mountains.  

It wasn’t just that she wasn’t the “climbing” type. It was that she carried so much life; the pain, the trauma, the stories of days forgotten by others but embedded in her memory.

She carried all of it, she buried all of it, with food, shopping, a glass of wine which soothed momentarily, but faded immediately, leaving her body feeling much like her heart- heavy, so incredibly heavy. 

That heaviness left her staring at the mountains; it left her on the sidelines of daring adventures and her dreams, and many days left her adjusting her plans and wishes to fit her reality —the weight made the climb impossible.  

So there she stood, staring at the mountain, again. 

And one day, a fresh sound in her ears- a whisper that said- “what if I am a girl who climbs mountains? What if the mountain is beckoning, not taunting, me?

That fresh sound sparked change- she began to shed the layers, releasing the many things she had carried in her body and wrapped around her heart- the heaviness began to lift. 

Rather than soothing with food, wine, shopping- she found true comfort. Rather than staying numb- she allowed the feelings to rush back into her body and became curious about what they had to say. Day by day, she gained strength and let go of the weight holding her back.

She stood in front of the mountain one last time, knowing the truth- she was a girl MADE to climb this very mountain. With courage and determination- she took a step and dared to fight her way up the mountain. And, when she got to the top, she looked down where she had stood for many years, so convinced the mountain was taunting her, and she suddenly felt overwhelming joy. 

The mountain was her invitation to purpose. It stood there for years- not to shame her, but to show her what she was made of and who she was made for. 

She was, after all, the girl who conquered mountains- and at the top, she basked in the glory of the One who made her.