Ever since I can remember, I have had fears or challenges that sometimes become obstacles along my path. As a five-year-old I had a fear of bugs. More recently I faced the struggle of climbing walls because I fell off an indoor rock wall a few years ago. This incident scarred me, and as a result I created a mountain in my mind that appeared too tall to scale. Any time I even thought about climbing a wall, I would get too scared to even attempt it. But obstacles for me have a way of reappearing later in life to test my courage and faith in God.

This challenge reoccurred when I went to Camp Pinecrest this year. Soon after I arrived, I discovered there was a monstrous rock wall that everyone at camp would be encouraged to climb. When my turn came, I felt the old fear begin to rise in my chest, but my dorm encouraged me. Since I was still extremely nervous, tI decided to say a silent prayer for God’s comfort, and then I began climbing. Soon enough I scaled the rock face, touched my nose to the carabiner and returned to solid ground. I was overjoyed to have finally conquered one of my fears with the assistance of God. This experience raises a question: how can we overcome the physical and mental challenges that lie ahead of us?

The Bible provides insight to this question in Matthew 19:26. Jesus states: “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Every person has faced physical or mental mountains that they have had to climb, even though it seemed unfeasible at the time. Sometimes, our mountains can seem too tall and the terrain may appear rough, but we always have the strength of God available to make the seemingly impossible, possible.

The most challenging aspect of conquering personal mountains is maintaining our faith in God and remembering that He will help us overcome obstacles if we ask. Questions may come up, such as, “Why would God want to help me in the first place?” or “What if He decides to not help at all?” A good scripture to counter these questions is Deuteronomy 31:6, which says, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” God will never abandon us or leave us to confront our challenges alone. He will always be there to lend a helping hand, to assist us as we take another step up our personal “Mount Everests.” It may be tough to find the right places to put our feet among the various rocks, but God will always be there to point out the best climbing spots.

So let’s take the first step and watch where God leads us in climbing the mountains of our lives. It may not be easy at first, but I know He’ll be with each of us every step of the way.