Part Four: “Climbing Buddies”

“A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 17:17

My brother-in-law Jeff and I have biked well over a thousand miles together…half of those miles were racked up on mountain bike trails.

Nearly all of those off-road trails had some form of climbing involved. They were all different: long, short, steep, gradual, sandy, rocky, rutted, muddy, mellow, and/or dangerous.

Jeff and I learned them all together. Some we handled with ease, but most made us suffer before we conquered them. Some made us groan, and some even made us bleed.

When friends would come to ride with us, we all had a great time. Our friends were fairly strong riders who could hang with our tempo…until we got to the climbs. That’s when all that experience kicked in and Jeff and I would attack in unison, powering up the climbs with only domination in mind.

I remember many times when Jeff and I would wait at the top as a friend slowly churned up the hill, panting and groaning. Then they’d catch their breath, suck on water, and wonder aloud how we climbed it so “easily”.

The truth is it wasn’t easy to climb. It was hard work. The difference was we fed off each other’s skill, experience, and spirit. We knew when it was “go time”, and we didn’t hesitate when the climb was looming ahead of us. We attacked when others hesitated.

I’m so grateful for my Lord Jesus, my wife, family, and the multitude of Christians who have helped me attack and climb steep mountains thus far.

My friends, if you have someone to attack the hills of life with you, you’re surely blessed. Don’t take them for granted. There is a special dynamic between close friends, family, and spouses, which allows great things to be accomplished as you share adversity together.