I suffer from mountainitis, a condition of being overwhelmed when staring at a mountain. I have found that if I don’t look at the entire mountain, nor think about the climb to the top, I fare better.
The old saying, “It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out, it’s the grain of sand in your shoe,” is true, if we allow it to be.
That’s why volunteering is so important in our world. Helping others is a solution to helping ourselves. We strengthen ourselves by helping others, enriching not only their situation, but also enriching our own.
I marvel when I hear about people who reach out to help others. For example, a young girl who makes teddy bears for children’s hospitals so sick children can find comfort, or a senior women’s group that makes quilts so the homeless can stay warm on cold nights.
Everyone has the talent and ability to help others. For those of you standing on the top of the mountain, I ask that you reach down and help the person just below you by pulling him or her up. Helping or being helped is a great joy we can share with one another.
Father, thank You for the caring and loving volunteers of our world. Please bless them with Your strength and courage so they can continue the work You put before them. May their hope spread throughout the world until we are all cured of mountainitis. Help those who feel lost and alone know we are all in this struggle together and that there is hope. Amen.
