Preparation
Journeys shape us. They are not just experiences we pass through — they are the very vehicle of our unfolding, our becoming. And if we move too quickly or too casually, we risk missing the lessons tucked quietly along the way.
My recent climb up Scafell Pike reminded me of one of those lessons we often underestimate:
Preparation.
Preparation is the act of getting something or getting yourself ready for what is ahead. We prepare because we want to make the most of the opportunities that arrive. Scripture encourages us to “make use of every opportunity,” because readiness is the posture of the wise.
A mountain hike demands preparation. Life does too.
We prepare for university.
We prepare for marriage.
We prepare for new jobs, relocations, children, transitions.
Yet how often do we take for granted the season of preparation itself no matter how small or significant the journey may be?
Before Scafell Pike, my knowledge of mountain climbing was almost non‑existent. I trained but training in the gym is not the same as climbing a real mountain. And halfway up, when my legs grew heavier and my frame felt harder to carry, I realised just how different the real thing truly is.
Thank goodness I kept my backpack light — a small but meaningful act of preparation. Still, the ache surprised me.
Where had all my training gone?
Why was it suddenly so hard?
The answer was simple:
It’s a mountain — not a treadmill.
It’s a mountain — not your morning motivational routine.
It’s the real thing.
And the real thing is never the same as the practice run.
Preparation is essential, but it does not eliminate the unexpected. Sometimes the unexpected comes from the journey itself (we experienced rain at the tail end of our hike, preparation hadn't factored that in) and sometimes it comes from your own vessel. Your body, your mind, your emotions, your endurance.
But preparation gives you a foundation. A quiet confidence. A sense that even if the journey stretches you, you are not starting from zero.
As I climbed higher, I was reminded:
Preparation doesn’t remove the challenge, it equips you to meet it.
And mountain‑top moments, whether literal or symbolic, always reveal this truth.
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