On December 22, 2011, at 7:00 a.m., I stood with my father on top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. The height of this mountain is 5,895 metres above sea level. It is the highest point that I’ve ever been in my life. It was an incredible view of the world from that height. Although I was very tired after having climbed all night, and at times gasping for breath, I felt at peace. I knew that I had made it. I was at the top of the highest point in Africa.
My journey began over five days earlier, at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I listened as my guides gave me instructions on what to do and what not to do. They said that if I followed all their instructions then I would be able to make it to the top. If I didn’t listen, then there was a good chance that I would not make it. That reminded me of how we, as Christians, are to listen to and follow the words of our Guide, Jesus Christ. If we listen to and obey all of Jesus’ words, we will see Him in Heaven.
At first it wasn’t easy to follow the instructions of my guide. Right from the start my guide told me to walk “pole, pole,” which, in Swahili means “slowly, slowly.” I didn’t like to walk slowly. It bothered me when other people passed me on the trail. I wanted to go faster. I didn’t want to walk at this slow pace, but my guide always would repeat the words, “pole, pole.” Two years earlier, I had been to this same mountain with my mother and sister and we were running up this path, but now we had to walk slowly.
During the climb we were only allowed to stop for very short breaks to drink water. We were only allowed longer rest breaks when the guide said we could. Sometimes my father wanted to stop for longer breaks but the guide would tell him to get up and that it was time to go. The guide would say to keep moving, to keep walking, no matter how tired we were. It didn’t matter that we were going slow, as long as we kept walking and climbing towards our destination.
On the road to heaven sometimes we get distracted. We get tired and we want to stop and take a break. But Jesus tells us to get up, to keep moving because the journey is still long and the destination is still far away. Sometimes we need encouragement from others so that we will keep moving and so that we don’t get discouraged and give up. On our climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro the guide kept encouraging us, and on our journey to heaven, Jesus keeps encouraging us also.
As we were climbing the mountain, one by one, people would give up. Many got very sick. Some would turn around and walk back down the mountain on their own while others had to be evacuated and helped by others. Sometimes I felt a little sick also, but I didn’t tell anybody. My dad was having a hard time climbing the mountain, so I tried to encourage him to keep climbing. My dad and I had a secret code. Whenever my dad was too tired to continue and he needed a break, he would say that it’s time to take a picture. So we would stop for a few seconds to take a picture and then continued on again.
On our journey to heaven we need each other, to help each other, as we all try to reach the same destination. Things become easier if you are able to share experiences with one another and encourage one another. Even though it sometimes looks very dark, like when the dark clouds came over our path and we could not see very far ahead, as long as we are following our Guide, we know that things will be all right and that we are still going in the right direction.
As we were nearing the top of the mountain, many of those who had passed me during the climb had turned around and were walking back down the mountain. They had given up. They were so close to the top but they never made it. I wondered if I was going to be able to make it. I was so tired and hurting and I had to stop many times because it was so difficult to keep climbing when there was so little oxygen to breathe. But I kept moving, going “pole, pole.” Now I understood why the guide wanted us to go slowly from the start. By going slowly we not only conserved our energy but were able to acclimatize to the altitude better and therefore be better prepared for what was to come at the higher altitudes.
Sometimes new Christians are so full of excitement that they want to do everything very quickly. But many also get discouraged very quickly when trials and difficulties come and they end up leaving the church. We need to follow instructions if we do not want to be disappointed in the end. On this trip I learned a lot of patience and that listening and following instructions is really worth it in the end. It’s not always easy to be patient, but if you want to achieve your goal, then it is very necessary.
It was an incredible experience watching the sunrise while still climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. I knew that I was almost there . . . almost near the top. The summit now was so close but there was still a distance to go. Even though the climb was less steep once we had reached the top of the mountain, we still had to use all our efforts, all our will power and strength to keep going. We couldn’t give up if we wanted to reach our top destination, Uhuru Peak. At times I felt like curling up in a ball and just going to sleep. With so little oxygen up there my brain was playing tricks on me. It felt warm even though it was around –20 degrees Celsius. But our guide kept walking and we kept following.
It made me wonder how many people would give up their journey to heaven even though they could almost see the heavenly gates. The easiest thing to do is to give up and it was sad to see how many people gave up trying to climb to the top. They had paid a lot of money to climb the mountain, but for whatever reason, they gave up. But thanks to the Lord, my dad and I, we didn’t give up. We made it to the peak and there I stood, physically the closest to heaven that I’ve ever been while standing on this earth.
This isn’t the end of my journey, but only the beginning. I hope that my experience inspires you to keep going and to never give up no matter how difficult things may be. If you follow your true guide, Jesus Christ, you will make it to your destination. If you listen and obey all of your Guide’s instructions you will make it to heaven. AMEN
James Bessec