DAY 21

I’ve only climbed some very small mountains that some would consider hills. However, even looking at a small mountain prior to climbing it we can see in our minds the problems, hazards, expenditure of energy that will be necessary. Usually we overestimate how difficult the climbing will actually be. Dennis Proffitt a psychologist at the University of Virginia has actually performed a study which concluded that most people when standing at the bottom of a hill will believe the impending climb looks a lot worse than it really is.

Profitt in his study determined that people would consistently overestimate the slope of shallow hills. The people involved in the study would judge five-degree slopes to be about 20 degrees. According to Profitt there appears to be a mental protection mechanism at work here. The mental mechanism causes the eye to overestimate the task at hand, which helps prevent you from overexerting yourself.

In modern life the mountains we face are all too often not in the physical realm. However, they can be just as difficult to climb. It seems easy to become discouraged in life. We can look at our work or problems facing us and feel overwhelmed. It may only be a five-degree climb but it looks completely vertical from where we stand. We face one problem after another and they take a toil on our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual stamina. As a result we may come to a standstill as far as doing anything for the Lord.

The apostle Paul would tell us to be steadfast, immovable always abounding in the work of the Lord. Yes, you may be facing another problem but most likely it is not as bad as you think. Your mind is telling you it can’t be done but Paul would say that you can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13).