"Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and will walk in his paths" (Isaiah 2:3; 2 Nephi 12:3)

One day I started out on a trike ride without any real direction other than knowing I would head south. As I rode, I ended up heading towards the Draper temple. In order to get to it I must ride up a significant hill. I had done it before and so I wasn't afraid to do it again, but it's definitely not a ride I want to do every day. When I got to the temple I got off my trike and took some pictures. I was feeling great and was in the debate about what direction to ride from there. There was no right or wrong direction, just easier or harder and was I willing to commit to harder, but majorly rewarding.

I got on my trike and headed south again. This would take me to a fork in the rode called Traverse Ridge or Suncrest Drive. I had not made up my mind to ride to the top of the mountain, I was wavering (see James 1:5-6). Rather, I left my options open because, honestly, I was scared to ride up it. I had tried once before on my bike, a year previous, but the wind and the traffic got the better of me and I turned around. It had terrified me. I had a lot of doubt about my ability to climb this mountain. When I arrived at the fork in the road, I still hadn't made up my mind about what direction to turn. I then saw another rider, a woman, who was headed up the long, steep hill. I wasn't sure if I could do it, but I thought what the heck, she is committed to the climb, I might as well try. I then turned in the same direction, heading up the mountain.

I took pictures of the "path" before I began and as I climbed it. At one point I thought, "Why would anyone want to climb up hill, let alone this super, steep hill that is miles long"?! The path was so steep that if I stopped pedaling I would roll backwards. I then had a picture of the temple I had just left come to my mind. I had climbed a very steep, but shorter hill to get to it. Some things are meant to be up hill. Some things make us better by allowing us to climb up to them. We are taught, "But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and the people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and will walk in his paths" (Isaiah 2:2-3; see also 2 Nephi 12:2-3; Micah 4:1-2). Notice, it is the "top of the mountain and above the hills" and not the valley floor that "the people shall flow unto it".

It takes commitment to the Lord through keeping His commandments (see John 14:15), exercising faith in His plan (see Alma 34:16; Alma 12:30), and acting on that faith to actually climb the hills that will most assuredly come into our lives (see Moroni 10:4) but lead us closer to God. Pres Gordon B. Hinckley said: "If we are to hold up this Church as an ensign to the nations and a light to the world, we must take on more of the luster of the life of Christ individually and in our own personal circumstances. In standing for the right, we must not be fearful of the consequences. We must never be afraid" (An Ensign to the Nations, A Light to the World). When I started the climb I was afraid. But as I continued to ascend the mountain, my faith increased and my fear left me. I began thinking: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13). As I pedaled forward, slowly but surely, I was acting in faith. It was hard and difficult, but at the same time, it was an incredibly joyous experience.

When I got to the top of the mountain, for it was a mountain, I felt so exhilarated, thrilled, and happy! It had been the toughest climb I had done. This is true as we shed the ways of the world and climb to a higher way of living when we choose to follow the example of Jesus Christ. God wants to "teach us of His ways" that we might "walk in His paths" (Isaiah 2:2-3). We must be willing to increase in faith, consistently "pedal" and thus climb the hill that is for our good (see James 2:17-26).  As we "take on more of the luster of the life of Christ" we will draw closer to God and He will draw near to us (see D&C 88:63). I testify that the hill may be steep and sometimes may even be a mountain, but is totally worth all the effort to get to the top!

This is at the beginning of the hill to the temple. You can just barely see the Draper temple in the background.

This is a little closer to the temple. The incline and climb is between 8-12%. It's a good one.

Draper Temple

This is part of the climb up the mountain...and the next photo continues the upward view. The two photos should be side by side to get the entire view.

I thought I was at the top, but not yet. I had about a mile more of uphill pedaling yet to do.

The view from the top of the mountain. On this clear, but cloudy day I was able to see across the Salt Lake Valley.

This is another view I could see the other side of the mountain and into the next valley.