As I’m reading “Developing the Leader within You” by John C. Maxwell, I couldn’t help but grab my computer and share this with you…because THIS matters, YOU matter!
Learning how to prioritize things in life is difficult (especially for those like me that enjoy pleasing people) but what it all comes down to what realizing and acting upon the things that are of high importance and high urgency. Maxwell gives an example of a group of guys taking up a hike on Mont Blanc in the Alps of France. The main guide warns them “To reach the top, you must carry only equipment necessary for climbing. You must leave behind all unnecessary accessories.” The next morning, one of the climbers, an Englishman, arrived with a colorful blanket, large pieces of cheese, a bottle of wine, a camera with extra lenses, and chocolate bars. Once again, the guide warned him of everything he was carrying but he decided to prove him wrong and he took the lead on the hike. As the rest of the climbers hiked the summit of Mont Blanc, they start to notice accessories being left behind. First the blanket, then the cheese. Later the wine bottle, then the camera equipment and finally some of the chocolate bars. When they reached the top, they discovered the Englishman without any of these unnecessary equipment.
This story is so powerful in the sense that everyday we get to CHOOSE what we will carry on with us for the rest of the day…for that matter, what we will carry for the rest of our lives. So what are you carrying? Are these stuff necessary or unnecessary things? Are they just a weight on your shoulders or is it truly worth it to carry it?
The way I see it, is that at the beginning, just like the Englishman, we pile on ourselves UNNECESSARY “equipment”…may it be worry-ness, anxiety, impatience, insecurities… but as we move higher on the mountain and closer with the LORD, He opens our eyes to the necessary, to the vital things in life and He frees us up from our insecurities and He promises us to give us and “meet our needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” [Philippians 4:19] so we begin to leave behind the colorful blanket, then the cheese, wine bottle, camera equipment and so on until we are left with what matters… in many cases that is nothing, literally nothing but our hearts and our desires to know Him more and dwell in His presence alone.
So let me ask you again, what are you carrying?
Or better yet… what are you leaving behind?
So Father, my prayer is that You would open our eyes to see You, give us clarity and may we become aware of the things we are carrying that You are calling us to leave behind and instead give You the attention and focus You are worthy of. Lord, I thank you for pursuing our hearts daily and reminding us how merciful and graceful You are. In Jesus’ Name, AMEN!
