Downhill Yields to Uphill

I got to hike a few trails on my vacation.  As we were coming to a particularly rocky and narrow place on one trail, a man who was obviously very experienced in hiking met me coming down.  He was thin and dark brown from the high altitude sun.  His hiking gear was well used but obviously good stuff.  On his lip was a large curled mustache. He had the air and appearance of a real character.  As I plodded upward toward him and the narrow place in the trail he stopped and moved aside to give me the trail.  I stopped at about the same time he did thinking I would let him by and catch my breath.  He motioned for me to come on and said, "Downhill yields to uphill."
I hesitated.  He insisted, "No that's the code, downhill yields to uphill."

I remember reading that somewhere but rarely saw it applied but this man knew "the code" of the trail and insisted on living by it.  I obliged and trodded up breathing hard.  Then I reflected on why this was so.  It was a polite thing to be sure but also a good thing.  Those going down have less a burden, less a strain and they are to look out for and yield to those who are still on the way up.

It does not sound like a bad thing to apply to the church either.  We are to value those who are still bearing the burden of the uphill climb of the Christian life and give them a break as they head toward some experiences we have already had.  We are to look out for those coming up and give them a clearer path to tread, knowing we have been where they are going. 

It was also helpful when some of the downhill people would say to us uphill strugglers, "It's not far."  "You are almost there."  "The view is worth it."  Also good things for us to keep in mind in the church.

Do we value those uphill strugglers?  Do we value the journey enough to encourage those on the way?  My crusty trail expert seemed to value that and "the code" he not only knew but sought to live out by example.

What do we value at Northside?  Who do we value?  Good questions that we will be asking and listening to your answers for as we continue to grow through the Vital Church process.  Just as we found some interesting things in asking each other about the mission of our church (results of that are coming soon) I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts about the values of our church.

For the journey...