Keep on Climbing

This morning I opened the door to go upstairs. There is only a den, a bedroom, an attic and a bathroom up there. The steps are challenging in that there are so many of them, 15 in all. I figured out why so many of them, we have 9 foot ceilings in our new house. Sherri doesn’t go upstairs very often, but I’m climbing them all the time because my recliner, and TV are up there as well as most of my clothes. For some reason Sherri’s clothes seem to take up most of the space in the master closet. That might reveal who the master of the house really is. Sherri grunts and groans whenever she climbs those stairs. She says it’s like climbing a mountain. I agree with her.

On my first trip up the stairs this morning I started singing, “Climb, climb up Sunshine Mountain”. Those as old as I am will remember which song that is. Early in the morning the stairwell is dark, but at the top of the stairs there is some light from the bedroom window which faces due east. The den is between the bedroom and the stairs so what I’m seeing is not direct light, but the sun's glow is so bright that the den is filled with sunshine. I guess that is why this song that I had not sung or thought of for maybe a hundred years popped into my head. I can’t believe I remembered it. So I climbed those dark stairs upward with much effort toward the bright light of the sun.

The words of the song are: Climb, climb up Sunshine Mountain, Heavenly breezes flow. Climb, climb up Sunshine Mountain, Faces all aglow. Turn, turn you back from doubting, Look up to the sky;

Climb, climb up Sunshine Mountain, you and I.

There is a Sunshine Mountain for all to climb even if you don’t have an upstairs, or live close to a real mountain. This sweet children’s song from long ago speaks of the glory of God, I think. It speaks of what those who are children of God have to look forward to and can know in part today. As we serve our Savior shoulder to shoulder with fellow believers, the church, we feel those heavenly breezes, and we notice those glowing faces of people who abide in the very presence of God, filled with his Holy Spirit. Someday we will see the glowing face of Jesus and the glowing faces of the saints. The climb may be tough at times, but we continue to climb upward with our faces fixed on Jesus, and our backs turned away from the doubts and fears with which the evil one tries to discourage us. Remember this little song every time you climb those stairs, go up a hill, or face a mountain of a problem. The lesson for us is to look, always, up to the the sky, to Jesus, and keep climbing, never turning back and never giving up. Climb, climb up Sunshine Mountain, you and I.