“Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” Luke 3:5-6
I fell in love with climbing through the sport of bouldering, where you climb without a rope. The routes are called “problems”, and they require both mental and physical exertion to solve. Climbing is a gritty sport that involves falling over and over again. It’s not easy, but it is exhilarating to finally solve a problem and make it to the top.
Professional climber, Kyra Condie had just started climbing when at 11 years old she was diagnosed with severe scoliosis. The 72-degree curve required the fusion of ten vertebrae and permanent rod to be placed in her spine. Despite this enormous setback, Kyra trained and worked through the problems of her new limitations and eventually qualified for the United States Olympic climbing team.
Sometimes boulders can be seen as obstacles, but they can also be something that propels us forward and helps us climb to new heights. I am thankful that my faith in Jesus Christ helps me to work through all the problems I face, and His grace is sufficient for where I lack. He is helping me to climb mountains and smoothing out my rough place.
24" x 36" oil on panel