REFLECTIONS
July 3, 2005
 
 
I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last.
John 15:16
 
 
The Right Mountain to Climb
 
What a thrilling celebration it was as the Longhorns capped their season by walking through the College World Series undefeated! They jumped with delight as they piled on each other near the pitcher’s mound. The fans joined in the celebration dancing in the stands and brandishing signs proclaiming the championship. I’m sure that the parties extended well into the night and into the following day.
Only a few days later the Spurs conquered a very determined opponent to claim the NBA championship. The celebration of a hard fought victory began at the final buzzer of the seventh game and carried on for several days, formally concluding with a river parade and a blowout party at the Alamodome. 
As the celebrations commenced, the news media scrambled for every impromptu interview they could grab. The players and coaches described their exhilaration and shared compliments of each other for the commitment and dedication to the cause of victory.  But some curious words surfaced as they expressed their excitement. Players and coaches alike began to talk about next year even as this year’s titles were newly born! “We are dead set on repeating next year,” one coach reportedly exclaimed. 
Each team began the year with a lofty goal. Each team was successful in achieving it. Neither team felt the thrill of victory for very long.  They had a mountain top experience but quickly found they had another mountain yet to climb.
It made me think about my own goals. Am I chasing things that, when achieved, will bring such brief satisfaction?   Will my mountain top experience reveal that I have another mountain to climb, or even worse, that I have been climbing the wrong one? 
I have been blessed to achieve some lofty goals in my life—some of them even on athletic fields. There has been nothing wrong with the accomplishments, and I am happy to have gained them; but at best they have served as a means to an end, not an end themselves. The enduring fruit in my life has come from loving others—and having them love me back—and feeling God’s love—and loving Him back. For me that is the right mountain to climb.
 
You are the light of the world,
Richard Ì


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