Keep Climbing
By Steve Myers

Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to climb Mount Everest. Over fifty years ago he scaled the highest mountain then known to man - 29,000 feet straight up. Not only was he was knighted for his efforts but he even made a nice income from credit card commercials because of it!

But did you know that Sir Edmund had to grow into his success? You see, previously he attempted to climb Mount Everest, but failed. It was just a few weeks after that disappointment that a group in England asked him to speak to its members. He received thunderous applause as he walked on stage.

Even though the audience recognized his monumental attempt, a disappointed Edmund Hillary saw himself as a failure. Reportedly he moved away from the microphone and walked to the edge of the stage. He made a fist and pointed at a picture of the mountain and said in a loud voice, "Mount Everest, you beat me the first time, but I'll beat you the next time because you've grown all you are going to grow... but I'm still growing!" Now the rest is history.

This is a great lesson for all of us. As singles in God's church we can face disappointments and failures but like Sir Edmund we need to learn how to refuse to accept failure. That's a godly principle: The Apostle Paul tells us: "I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize." (Philippians 3:12 CEV)

What about you? Are you developing? Regardless of your physical situation in this life, you can choose be fully dedicated to God's way of life. So that no matter what, you can be "growing in every way more and more like Christ" (Ephesians 4:15 NLT).

To be dedicated to this task we must have a deep relationship with God. Realize that His plan for our lives is an ongoing trek that will be filled with profound meaning - if we take the time to truly appreciate the journey.

No doubt there are times when life can seem like an unscalable mountain, but with commitment to God and His direction you can reach the summit.

So keep climbing.