This time of year we are preparing for the harvest. I know it sounds strange to discuss the harvest in the Spring, but we must think about and plan now to have delicious fruits and vegetables in the Fall.
Mom’s pickles were
the best. She would choose home-grown cucumbers while they were still young and
tender then prepare them by placing the cukes in quart bottles with onions,
dill, garlic, and long-red peppers, which gave the pickles a punch. They were
then covered with vinegar, but the desired result did not happen overnight. The
cucumbers marinated in this state for weeks before the flavor of the pickled
dills could really be savored. But when finished, the dill pickles were
scrumptious. Similarly, when my family moved to Anacortes WA, we enjoyed the
fare of the Northwest. For us, the salmon, fresh-water lakes, green everywhere,
and beautiful mountain ranges were a new way of life. And this included pickles. Yeah, that’s right. I said pickles. Our special Northwest friends started with baby cucumbers and the skill to extract the tastes into a
famous flavor, such that I still relish that memory today.
Brine, seasonings, and fresh vegetables were key ingredients
in the making of these memorable delicacies. We have to follow the very same steps
and exhibit similar qualities if we are to achieve the status and end result of
the famous Rumpfwiler dills. Patience is also necessary. Weeks of steeping in
the brine slowly, but surely makes the product of our efforts realize its distinctive
value. Yet even with our best intentions, everything doesn’t always work out
like we planned or anticipated. To illustrate, I have an example occurring
right outside my window.
Today is the last day of April. Tomorrow is May 1st,
and in my mind the beginning of summer. The next day is my birthday. When I was
a child, I enjoyed having a summer birthday. I was able to play with my friends
and family and spend time celebrating outside in the warmth. Amazingly, as I
look out my window today, snow is coming down in sheets. Big flakes fall and
are collecting on the housetops, lawns, and cars that drive by. Winter in May?
I thought it strange this year when we had a brief snow two weeks into April, despite
the eminent coming of summer. After more than half-century I have been alive, as
far as I remember a snow this late in the year has not happened before—at
least not where I lived.
So things don’t always work out the way we expect. That is
not new.
My son enjoys rock climbing. He has conquered some peaks
that I have never even considered climbing, and I’m sure never will. He uses all
the right tools: a harness, carabiners, ropes, and climbing shoes, among other
things. But he must follow the principles of good climbing to be successful and
safe. Cutting corners, ignoring necessities, and recklessly moving forward is
not only foolish, it is dangerous, and sometimes deadly. Good climbers know
that. Further, he must face the obstacle directly in his path before taking on
the challenging hills, cliffs, and precipices further along the way. The goal won’t
be realized by those unwilling to seize the moment right in front of them, yet
climbers know that the next big challenge is still coming and rather than
discouraging them, this propels them on to new heights. Think about that for a
minute. The push that drives climbers to overcome the next challenge doesn’t
depress or discourage them. Rather than looking beyond the mark, their
perspective actually becomes the catalyst that emboldens climbers and inspires them
onto to the next summit.
Years of practice, dedication, and strength are all required
for those that seek to be the top rock climbers. Often the most successful mountaineers
spend a lifetime perfecting their craft. We admire and revere them for having
the mettle
to hang on to the end and follow the principles that ensure success.
“Priesthood ordinances and sacred covenants are essential in
this ongoing process of spiritual rebirth; they also are the means God has
appointed whereby we receive His exceeding great and precious promises.
“The gospel is so much more than a routine checklist of
discrete tasks to be performed; rather, it is a magnificent tapestry of truth
‘fitly framed’ and woven together, designed to help us become like our Heavenly
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, even partakers of the divine nature. Truly,
we are blinded ‘by looking beyond the mark’ when this overarching spiritual
reality is overshadowed by the cares, concerns, and casualness of the world” confirms
Elder David A. Bednar.
This principle is again very much like rock climbing and the
belay anchor system. "Of course, you recognize your limits in climbing by
falling off the rock," says Alan Czenkusch [leader of Whistepig Climbing
School of Del Norte, Colorado]. "However, you're safe because you're on
belay." The belay anchor system is the crux of climbing. And
interestingly, that also directly applies to the point of this article. We are
safe when we are on the Lord’s side. When we put the Savior first in our lives,
all other matters take care of themselves, and we need not worry. We are on
belay. He is our anchor.
So while you probably never thought that pickles, rock
climbing, and religion really had anything substantial in common, they actually
have many more similarities than first expected, including at least the
following important characteristics:
- Dedication
- Hard work
- Adherence to guidelines
- Persistence and enduring to the end
- Rewards now and in the future
- Faith
Sport climbers do it for love of climbing, excitement, and
the challenge before them. I once climbed Angels Landing with my sweetheart.
She had summited the climb before my attempt and insisted that we do it together.
After making the necessary arrangements, we scheduled the date for the hike. Please
don’t misunderstand me, this is nothing like the mountains my son climbs—not in
height, difficulty, or complexity—but Angels Landing was plenty a challenge for
us: dozens of switchbacks, steep, challenging trails, slick rock, and sheer
drop-offs. We persisted and my sweet wife was patient as I followed her to the
top, but that is the point of sharing this anecdote with you—we made it to the
top. Even though it was at times strenuous—by applying the proper rules and
guidelines of mountaineering—hiking that trail, working hard, and persisting to
the end, we made it to the top. And you can, too. That is the realization of a
lifetime. We can surmount our challenges if we apply the principles that will
safely get us to our destination—rules for the road, the trail, and for our
lives.
In your life, whichever mountains you are currently
climbing, applying the principles I have mentioned, which are found in
abundance in the gospel of Jesus Christ, will ensure you are successful, as
well.
Surrounding ourselves with people, places, and principles
that motivate and help us to reach our destination does not just apply for trips,
hikes, and trails. The ultimate goal of our lives is similarly achieved as we
obey the rules, surround ourselves with good, and remain in the Light of the
Gospel.
When we stand in holy places, these surroundings lead us to
do justly, influence us for good, and give us momentum—making us more capable
and even better than we thought we could be.
The honorable with which we frame ourselves draws out the
best that is in us.
Just like those pickles.
