Are we there yet?

I remember road trips from Medicine Hat to Calgary as a child and the highway wasn't four lanes the whole way (yup I am that old).  The drive took much longer as passing was more challenging on a two lane highway.  

Back then, we had to invent games in order to pass the time.  We didn't have tablets or devices to occupy our attention.  We didn't have mini televisions in our cars so we could watch a movie.  We were lucky if we got one of those road side truck stop activity books to help us pass the time.  

Although it is an annoying question, are were there yet was a worthy question to ask as road trips took what seemed like forever.  

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I have been on the top of 2 different volcanoes...both in my thirties

The first of these volcanoes was Concepcion in Nicaragua.  On a G Adventures tour through Central America, we were given the option of climbing to the top of a volcano. We were on the island of Ometepe on Lake Nicaragua.Why not? Who doesn't want to cross that off a bucket list - even if it wasn't on the list originally?  

We got picked up at 6 am by a couple of guides which are mandatory for the hike.  We traveled to the base of the trail and were handed a plated lunch - covered in tinfoil to hide what was awaiting us. They also gave us each two 1.5 liter bottles of water to stay hydrated - which also meant having to carry them.  I tossed them into my backpack and headed out for that days adventure.  The first couple of kilometres is relatively flat until you reach the base of the volcano.

During the first 2 stages, the scenery is beautiful as you navigate the trail through a jungle. A nice gentle rain came down as we hiked allowing us to cool down a bit.  Oh wait!!  It's a trick!!  It is a jungle, otherwise know as a heat trap.  The sweat started to pour as the temperatures climbed and the humidity got trapped under the tree canopy from the rain.  

The wider path eventually turns into a single person trail making it a bit harder to navigate as well as an increased incline.

Eventually we made it out of the humidity trap clear of the tree line.  The trees break at about 1100 meters in elevation gain up the volcano and give way to volcanic sand and some lower greenery.  All the humidity from before is now exchanged with direct sun. However, being this high up also comes with the nice winds.  Pressing on a bit further we finally made it to lunch time.  It only took a mere 4 hours to get to this point.

If you haven't been on a volcano before, you may not know of the predominant smell.  There is a sulfurous smell present which also smells like rotten eggs.

Guess what lunch is?? 

Pulling back the tinfoil from our plates we discovered our pre-made lunches.  There was rice, beans, and plantains which are all staples in the area.  Oh, and you guessed it, eggs!!  Smelling rotten eggs and trying to eat eggs at the same time is definitely challenging.  After the short break to eat and hydrate we proceeded back up the mountain. 

About 50% of hikers quit at this point and turn around.
  

At 1400 meters in elevation the terrain changes. The climb is now steep and covered in loose lava rocks.  The guides handed us gloves to help protect our hands from the sharp rocks which would easily rip through our skin.  It was 5 minutes of forward progress and 1 minute of rest for the next while.

Near the 1500 elevation mark we reached a large canyon which was filled with sulfur clouds that come billowing out.  It makes the lungs itch and breathing is difficult not to mention it smells like the left over lunch.  

Sulfur clouds coming out from the canyon

Our guide looked at us and recommended we end things here and head back down. It had taken us around 6 hours to reach this point - we were only 100 meters in elevation from the summit.  He cautioned that breathing in the sulfur is dangerous and there were currently strong winds.  If the winds changed direction we could easily be surrounded by sulfur clouds causing us to have to turn and run down the mountain in order to survive.  25% of hikers end their journey at this point and head back down. 
I looked to the guide and let him know I was ready to run down if I had to as I did not come up this far to turn around this close to the top.  The decision was made and one other person from the group and myself took off with one of the guides to head to the top.   

All we could see of the rim of the volcano.

The rest of our group turned around and began to work their way back down. 

Hard to breathe but worth it!

We did it!!  We conquered all 9.5 km up and 1600 feet elevation gain of Concepcion.  

The view at the top was minimal yet worth it!! 

Now to get back down...

Working our way back down

The view of the lake from near the top

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Working my way to the top of the volcano was one of the hardest physical challenges I have ever faced.  Making it to the top of the volcano was exhilarating and one of the best experiences ever  - other than the strong smell of sulfur, large stinging insects everywhere and sheer fatigue.

Would being on top of the volcano be as great of an accomplishment if it did not take all the hard work to get there?  How much of the sense of accomplishment is due to the journey itself and how much is actually due to reaching the goal?

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Why is it that having to wait, working along the way and the process itself at times are so painful?  In trying to avoid waiting and pain, we have found ways to speed up the process:  
Microwaves
Drive thrus.
Skipthedishes - seriously though, using delivery for McDonalds...where are we at as a society??
PVR
Tap on our credit cards.
Express check out lines.

Speed it up so I don't have to wait.  I have more important things to do than this and waiting is hindering me from living my best life now.

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The Bible is filled with stories of waiting.  

King David was anointed to be king and yet wasn't crowned for another 15-20 years.  Imagine that you are told you are going to become the king and then for the next two decades you have to wait.  

During that season of waiting David took steps of preparation for the day he would become king.  He killed a giant and led many other military victories.  It was during this time that he became close friends with the royal family.  It didn't take long though before the king saw him as a threat and started hurling spears at him and sent out search parties to find him and have him killed.   David hid in caves to avoid capture, constantly running from death. 

He was ready to be king and yet was nowhere near that becoming a reality.  

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A word used to describe the space between two things is the word liminal.  Liminal means to
occupy a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold.  An example would be pregnancy, you are a mother and yet you are not yet a mother.

Is there something that we gain in the liminal space that makes us better equipped, stronger and healthier for when our time comes to move onto the next stage?  

Being in a liminal space is hard.  It feels like you are in nowhere land.  You are not at the base of the mountain nor are you at the top.  You are just somewhere along the journey - you can't say you were going to climb the mountain or that you did climb the mountain.  Both are true yet both are not fully accurate. 

Being in this space it feels as though your world proceeds in slow motion as everyone progresses and advances in regular time. 

My thirties consisted of the ongoing liminal space.  I know that I have been called to pastor yet that door has not opened.  I am a pastor and yet am not yet a pastor.

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When hiking the volcano, the greenery and growth only takes places lower on the mountain.  Near the top their is an amazing view but all that is present is rocks and dirt.  

The fear is that many of us want to get "there" so badly that we fail to see all that is around us on the journey - we fail to see all the growth taking place.  The people that are alongside us, the learning experiences, the chances to grow in wisdom or character, the opportunities to start practicing and trying out the skills that will one day be expected abilities.  If we get "there" but have not grown from the journey then is it worth getting there at all?  

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Have you ever had the "I'm better then you" battles with your siblings?  Imagine having Jesus as your brother.  You would never win the argument.

Jesus had a brother names James and after Jesus died, James wrote a book as part of the Bible.  In that book he says the following in James 1:2-4:
My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! 3 For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up power within you to endure all things. 4 And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking.


Hardships are a reality and some days it feels as if forward progress is not possible.  Holding on to joy amid the suffering helps us develop the faith that we can and will make it through.  Our faith will help to develop our endurance which leads to being fully developed in every way.  

Living today and finding the gifts embedded within each day is an opportunity that will only come once ever.  You cannot get back time once it has passed.  Living a life of gratitude helps us find purpose in each day yet that is a daily choice.  We can choose to be grateful or choose to become the victim, wishing that things were different and choosing to throw in the towel because they are not.    

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It is good to have ambition, drive and a sense of purpose.  It is good to focus on where you are heading and have goals before you. Take risks, try new things, push yourself.

Don't miss out on being present in the moment you are in.  It is your current moments that make the future moments so much better.  The difficulties now will make the success later that much sweeter.  Each step of the way up Concepcion was a choice, a battle.  I questioned whether it was worth carrying on but once I reached that summit those questions disappeared.  

Take the next step!  You are where you are now for a reason.

So to answer the age old question "Are we there yet?" - Yes you are exactly in the there that you need to be in this moment.

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MAKING IT REAL

I always find that on any hike, the return portion seems to go faster.  Often it is because the scenery is familiar and you now have bearings for where you are at on the path.  When returning down the volcano I recognized certain trees, turns and rock formations.  Although it was not far in the past (a handful of hours) they were markers of the journey I had been on.

It is easy to look where you want to be.  We need the markers from the past to remind us of the journey we have been on so far and to encourage us at times to continue on.

Take some time to think through or discuss these questions with someone:
Thinking of your journey, what would your current self tell your past self?  1 week ago, 1 year ago, 5 years ago? 
Looking back, what are some of the highlights of your journey that stand out to you?
Thinking back to some of the times that you felt like giving up, what got you through?  Who got you through? 
What from those past experiences and struggles does your current self need to hear? 

When we are going through tough times, it is often easy to let people know our dissatisfaction with our current reality.  We will grumble and complain about how things should be.  Find someone that you trust and spend some time sharing with them what is currently good in your situation or how you at least made it to this place in your journey rather then quitting long ago.  This way they can encourage you and also know the ways they can help you when hard times come again. 

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