Elevation

 Elevation is about perspective. There is a reason that we measure it from Sea Level rather than some other arbitrary point in the Earth. There is a really great article from National Geographic on Sea Level, why we use it even though it is not actually the exact same throughout the globe, I've provided the link below. I have lived just a couple hundred feet above sea level, and 4800 ft above sea level, the cooking is different, the baking is different, and it is a whole lot easier to dehydrate at 4800 ft. Other than that it is nigh impossible to tell where you are at elevation wise in the "flat places." Even at 4800 ft the flat places are still flat.
Unless you can see to the ocean somehow, your perspective will always need to adjust based on what you are told. This weekend I am taking a group of teenagers accustomed to living in South Texas where it is mostly flat and sloping to the ocean. We are going to be talking about elevation sickness before the trip, on the trip and throughout the trip. Our drive up will have ups and downs so the idea that we are traveling thousands of miles up from the ocean will be imperceptible to those riding in the van. We will have to reinforce the concept over and over again, because without that, the decisions they make in the mean time can have disastrous consequences. Drinking too many sodas, not drinking enough water. Eating too much and again not drinking enough water. Also constant sipping rather chugging water is helpful for hydration and the easing of symptoms. If you wait until the symptoms hit before you do anything, the words too little too late take on a new meaning for you as nausea and cramps are not altogether uncommon.
I will bet you are wondering why I am writing about elevation apart from the preparation to taking up a group of people mostly unaccustomed to the challenges. In the Christian faith, we talk a lot about the Mountain top and the Valley. This is an extension of biblical metaphors about the journey of faith. We see the valley as the in-between times where life is in a slump, and the Mountaintop as great spiritual moments that we hit, experience, or achieve along the way. And in between the two is a whole lot of climbing. As humans we need both the metaphorical mountain tops and valleys. The valleys sustain us to make the climbs and the mountain tops give us resolution to our perseverance and effort. But how do you really know apart from the "feeling" whether you are climbing or coming down off of the Mountain. What if the journey is imperceptible? What if the climbing happens in the "flat places?" Even though God has been trying to get you to prepare for the altitude change, all the while you have been trying to find a way to survive in the valley. How would you know if you were not told?
God is our Sherpa on this expedition. He is the boss in the preparation, and the expedition, and when we try to gauge where we are at without the proper information and the right guidance, then we can make decisions that are valley appropriate, when we are reaching a summit. Can you imagine? Dumping water to refill it when there is no where to do so. Or resting at a time where you need to push through and getting stuck. Or pushing through when a short rest would give you more gas to finish the climb. Or how awful it would be to get turned around on the way down and start the climb up again.
Many of us try to stay at a summit, but the problem with that, is that that mountain tops aren't there to sustain your soul, they are there to grow it. They are not a status to achieve they are moments we share with God to realize with God, I am enough. With God, I've got what it takes. If we don't realize these moments or try to stay in them, we can surely miss the point. Miss the growth. And maybe you thought you had years to go in the valley and God is telling you to start because you are at the mountain now. The trip wasn't thrilling, but the climb will be when you listen and find out you are at the mountain now.
The kid this past week walked through valleys and mountains spiritually. They conquered fears, faced challenges and walked through it. They didn't need someone to tell them it was difficult when they were struggling. They needed someone by their side to assist when needed and to push them to greater things when needed. They needed someone to tell them the discomfort was real but temporary, they needed someone to tell them they would get better and to show them that this was true. They needed guides that had been to the mountain and through the valley and knew the appropriate choices for both. And thanks to my wonderful volunteers during the trip they got both. As parents mentors, coaches, this is our imperative, to guide the little travelers on their way to the mountains and through the valleys.

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/sea-level/