“We’re going to climb a mountain.”

We got off the bus at Ein Karem, and Dany pointed toward the hill and said we were going to climb it. It wasn’t a mountain, of course, but most hills in Israel are called mountains: Mount of Olives, Mount of Temptation, Mount Ebal, and so on. We started to walk…downhill. I chuckled under my breath, “Sure, we’re climbing the mountain.” We were always walking up or down. Nothing seems level in Israel. But this time, it seemed we would begin with a downward trek. We walked several blocks and visited Mary’s Well, then turned toward the Church of the Visitation…which was up a very long hill.

So, apparently our guide wasn’t joking with us after all. He was preparing us.

How many times do we get a warning but just don’t listen or pay attention to it?

God says, “Let me prepare you for the climb you’re about to make.” We still might get out of breath on the way, even with His preparation, but if we don’t let Him prepare us, we often cry foul: “I don’t feel ready for this! I’m not prepared! There’s no way I can do this. Why would God expect me to be able to handle it?”

He doesn’t expect us to be able to handle it. He expects us to handle “it” with Him. “It” is everything. We can do nothing apart from Him: “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.” (John 15:5)

By the way, the climb was worth it. The view from the Church was beautiful. The views from God’s vistas usually are.