Compared to Yourself- George D. Durant
One day I climbed Mt. Olympus. It was an unbelievable, long, hard and exhausting journey for me.
Later that day, I attended an early evening meeting at our chapel. Every muscle in my body ached. I could hardly walk. My face was sunburned. After that meeting, I went out and looked up at Mt. Olympus. It looked different now that I knew I had been to the top. I was so deeply proud of what I had done. I sensed then that a man was standing at my side. He asked, "What are you looking at?"
I said, "Mt. Olympus." Then, in an almost bragging way, I said, "I've been to the top of that today."
He said, "Oh, really! That's great." Then he added, "I've been up there eighteen times."
"Eighteen times," I said. "Boy, that's really something."
He said, "Which way did you go- the easy way up back?"
I said, "Well, we went up back."
He said, "That's the easy way." After a brief pause, he continued, "I go right up the face." I kept gazing up. Suddenly I realized that what I had done was no major accomplishment for anybody else, but it was only a major accomplishment for me.
I thoughtfully turned and limped away. I wasn't in competition with him or anyone else. I was only in competition with myself, and that day I had been a winner. In the days and weeks that followed, I would look up at the lofty peak of Mt. Olympus and think, "I've been up there. Not to that lesser peak off to the right, but to that higher one - the top one - the one I said I'd climb, and I did." Even now when I see majestic Mt. Olympus, I'm filled with the reward of that climb again and I say to myself, "I'm sure glad I didn't turn back."
Even though the day that I climbed Mt. Olympus was a great day, today is far better because today there is a new mountain to climb. Each day's mountain is different, but each day has within its hours a special mountain for each of us to climb. Today's mountain may be an upward slope through forests of fear, climbing under the hot sun of tedious tasks, or across sheer boulders of my slope strewn with the loose and slippery rocks of selfishness or the entangling roots of pride.
But though sometimes I must rest and gasp for emotional breath, I must move forward. And through the downward momentum of unfulfilled hope may slam me to the ground, I must get up and go on to my goal. Others have their challenges and I have mine. The only accurate measurement of success for me is how do I compare with myself and the goals that I long to achieve. Am I climbing my mountain and getting ever nearer to the top?
Later that day, I attended an early evening meeting at our chapel. Every muscle in my body ached. I could hardly walk. My face was sunburned. After that meeting, I went out and looked up at Mt. Olympus. It looked different now that I knew I had been to the top. I was so deeply proud of what I had done. I sensed then that a man was standing at my side. He asked, "What are you looking at?"
I said, "Mt. Olympus." Then, in an almost bragging way, I said, "I've been to the top of that today."
He said, "Oh, really! That's great." Then he added, "I've been up there eighteen times."
"Eighteen times," I said. "Boy, that's really something."
He said, "Which way did you go- the easy way up back?"
I said, "Well, we went up back."
He said, "That's the easy way." After a brief pause, he continued, "I go right up the face." I kept gazing up. Suddenly I realized that what I had done was no major accomplishment for anybody else, but it was only a major accomplishment for me.
I thoughtfully turned and limped away. I wasn't in competition with him or anyone else. I was only in competition with myself, and that day I had been a winner. In the days and weeks that followed, I would look up at the lofty peak of Mt. Olympus and think, "I've been up there. Not to that lesser peak off to the right, but to that higher one - the top one - the one I said I'd climb, and I did." Even now when I see majestic Mt. Olympus, I'm filled with the reward of that climb again and I say to myself, "I'm sure glad I didn't turn back."
Even though the day that I climbed Mt. Olympus was a great day, today is far better because today there is a new mountain to climb. Each day's mountain is different, but each day has within its hours a special mountain for each of us to climb. Today's mountain may be an upward slope through forests of fear, climbing under the hot sun of tedious tasks, or across sheer boulders of my slope strewn with the loose and slippery rocks of selfishness or the entangling roots of pride.
But though sometimes I must rest and gasp for emotional breath, I must move forward. And through the downward momentum of unfulfilled hope may slam me to the ground, I must get up and go on to my goal. Others have their challenges and I have mine. The only accurate measurement of success for me is how do I compare with myself and the goals that I long to achieve. Am I climbing my mountain and getting ever nearer to the top?
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