This Climb Toward Home

Lyrics:

Overcoming trials is climbing a mountain,
Standing below, I lift my eyes high.
I see the summit, the glorious view,
My friends at the top, their joy fills the sky.
They call down to me, “It’s wondrous up here,”
So I start the ascent with hope and with fear.

Through brush and through stone, through roots and through strain,
The slope starts to lean, my breath turns to pain.
My legs burn hot, my chest feels tight,
I stop and I think, I can’t win this fight.
If I keep going, I’ll slip, I’ll fall,
I look to my friends—they seem so tall.

They rest with ease, their laughter so light,
I wonder, I ache, I lose my sight.
The path is the same, the climb just as steep,
But my legs shake hard, I can barely keep.
They are strong, and I am weak—
I don’t deserve to stand on the peak.

So I turn back down with grief in my soul,
Why can’t I rise like the ones before?
I slip, I slide, my hands are torn,
Bruised knees, cut palms, and hope feels worn.
Every trial, each loss I see,
Feels like proof of what I’ll always be.

I weep, I cry, I gasp for breath,
Is this my lot? Is this my test?
Too slow, too weak, I can’t even crawl,
Who’s to blame for this cruel fall?
I curse the path, I curse the pain,
I sit in rage, I sit in chains.

The tears run dry, my fire burns out,
Then from above I hear a shout:
“My friend, it’s okay—I saw you fall.
I walked this path. I know it all.
I’ll climb with you, I’ll show the way.
We’ll reach the top—just stay.”

I look up high, but I can’t see,
Only the voice still calling me.
I rise again, I climb by sound,
Each step guided, slow and bound.
“That’s it—good job—you’re doing fine.
Just follow My voice, one step at a time.”

I slip again—my heart feels weak.
He says, “A slip is not defeat.
Slow your pace, there’s no demand.
Catch your breath. Feel where you stand.
Look behind—see how far you’ve come.
Take in the view. Let your heart be calm.”

We stop, we rest, we heal, we climb,
The pain is real, but so is time.
The goal was never speed or prize—
The journey itself is how you rise.
Your friends above were once like you,
They slipped, they fell—I guided them through.

All who climb to heights so steep
Need one who knows, one who can see.
So don’t cast blame, don’t turn away,
This road is hard for every soul who stays.
Now rise, My child, you’re not alone—
Stand up. Walk on. This climb toward home.