Hiking the beautiful Jonkershoek mountains in the Western Cape this past weekend, I encountered my first false summit. Toiling up the nearly vertical climb, I glimpsed the peak. Knowing that a well-deserved rest awaited me at the top, I pushed through the last section of the climb, only to be crushed as I crested the summit, seeing that it was a false peak, with the actual summit still towering above. At that moment, my heart sank, and my legs grew weary. “How cruel and deceptive was that false summit,” I thought as I trudged up the new climb. And it was then that I was reminded of how similar the experience was to earthly success. Success is a never-ending climb with plenty of false peaks and disappointment. After achieving earthly success, we are left without true fulfilment and then seek a greater goal to pursue, often at a higher cost: more sacrifice, harder work, longer hours, less family time, and less time with God. And so the cycle continues. We chase success, hoping for some respite and fulfilment at the top of the climb, but the top never comes. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). Open Bible – http://bit.ly/Mar8v36 (Jeremy G)
