– and the walls came tumbling down…

Walls? What walls? Not Jericho. These were the walls of my own creation. Doubt and fear had raised their ugly heads repeatedly through the years. How could I break down the terror that arose every time a new challenge came my way?!

But Sinai was calling, and I couldn’t say no. This was the mountain of God, the mountain of the 10 Commandments, and Charlton Heston and more. As I oscillated between Yes, I will climb the mountain, and No, I can’t do that, came the final call, “Are you coming, or not?”

It was 2:30 am on a cold, April night, when I summoned up enough courage to climb the mountain of my dreams. There it stood in the darkness, illuminated now and then by the flicker of wandering flash lights ascending its rugged slopes.

Our agile, young guide disappeared into the night, as I took one slow step after another, peering into the blackness that enveloped me. The well worn path was still full of rocks and boulders, not to mention camels, and their owners. I stumbled on, pulled to safety every time an obstacle appeared.

The night wind swept around me as I buttoned up my coat and pulled on my gloves. Moses was here, waiting and praying for direction from God. Moses, the chosen one, who met the great I AM at the burning bush, was here. I was walking in Moses footsteps. I was lost in the pages of Exodus as I climbed painfully on to new heights.

Why did we have to do this at night, in the dark, I questioned, as other eager climbers brushed past me. The goal I was told, was to watch the sunrise from the summit. So on I plodded, now suddenly certain that I would make it to the top. The camels walked alongside, waiting for me to hop on for a ride. The thought of a bumpy ride on a camel into the unknown was more terrifying, so on I stepped with new courage.

A tiny hillside café beckoned. To stop now would not make sense, so bravely I moved on, catching a new momentum. My trusty cane, only a dollar, was an asset as I negotiated new bends, new curves. My spirits rose, as I prayed my way on this holy mountain. A new excitement filled me. Did Moses feel the same thrill, I wondered. But Moses was carrying the weight of responsibility, the care of the Israelites on his shoulders. God was with Moses, as God was with me as I journeyed on.

As I ascended in triumph, time was running out. I would not be able to make it to the top to watch the morning glory. So I lingered not that far from the pinnacle, to await the dawn. And it came in a glow that spread across the sky. The rosy hue touched me, and I was one with God on Sinai’s heights welcoming another day. God had reached down and raised me up, and those walls came tumbling down all around me.