Keep Climbing
Thank you for reading this blog post. Yes, it has been a while since my last post. I have taken some time to relax, read, and focus a bit more on writing my book, which has been evolving. Because the writing has been consistently changing, I plan to push back publishing until mid to late 2022. I hope to create something useful for the younger generations to learn from my life experiences as an emerging young leader in the workforce being a person of faith. Follow my Book Writing Journey on Facebook
Earlier this summer, I came across a great sermon by Jentezen Franklin, Pastor of Free Chapel. You can watch the sermon below on YouTube. Pastor Jentezen talks about climbing higher.
In life, there are those that start the climb, but quit (Quitters). Then there are those that climb so high and then they campout and become complacent (Campers). Then there are those that keep climbing (Climbers).
Quitters abandon the climb when things get tough. Fear, depression, and worry dominate their life. Quitters are a drag do be around.
Life is an uphill climb, but the view up there is really worth it. It is easier to quit than to endure.
Campers get up, win, have some successes, and then they get satisfied and complacent. They don’t go all the way. They terminate the ascent. They find a small, smooth plateau and campout there. They play it safe. They kick back and relax as they have arrived in life. Campers have no hunger for more.
Success should not diminish our desire; if it does, you will not remain successful very long. God wants you to be climber, dedicated to a lifelong journey that says I have not arrived, I have not reached my place that I am supposed to be. I say no to the plateau, I have not peaked. Climbers continue the upward journey regardless of misfortune, disadvantage, pain, and past achievement. Climbers see obstacles as opportunities. They see the glass half full. When they see a bend in the road, for climbers it is not the end of the road. Climbers get hurt and bruised and get over it.
Your calling is not your career. You can’t retire your calling. Your calling is to keep growing and climbing. In order to be a climber quit being a quitter. Quitting can become a habit just like winning. We are two times more likely to quit after a failure and after a great success. Success has made great failures out of many people.
Hold out and don’t quit.
Don’t unfold your tent at the campground of complacency. There are two bi-products of success – arrogance and complacency.
You will never grow if you rest in what you have already succeeded in. If you do succeed, try something harder. Are you a camper at your job? Have you pitched your tent? Followers complain about problems, leaders solve them. Use your past as a launching pad. If you endure now, you will enjoy later. You want to reach that for what is ahead. Climbers keep looking up, life could get them down, but climbers keep looking up.
Interesting fact – 70% of accidents for mountain climbers happen on the way down; it is not on the way up when they’re real focused.
Hebrews 10: 36-38 states, therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: For yet a little while, and he who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who draw back to perdition but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.
God states that he has no pleasure in those who draw back. Jesus is a true example of not quitting as he carried the weight of the cross; he endured because he saw the victory on top of that hill. He didn’t quit.
At times in our lives we will be climbing, we will be camping, and sometimes we may feel like quitting. It is best to endure and keep climbing. Yes, there are times where you feel like you want to quit, but that is what makes you grow and become stronger. Leaders often feel like quitting when things get tough. I remember Craig Groeschel talking about this recently during one of his sermons where there was a dark time he felt like quitting and he wasn’t good enough to be a leader at Life Church. But he continues to endure.
If you feel like you are camping and you have pitched your tent, what will it take to get you to climb? What is it that has caused you to feel like you have plateaued?
From my experience being an emerging millennial leader, I am always looking for the next win or success and when I don’t achieve that, I tend to become impatient and pitch the tent and start camping out. Continuing to endure and keep climbing is well worth it even when you don’t feel like it. Learn to have patience and continue climbing. Don’t be a camper or quitter.
