One Step at a Time

For years I wanted to hike the Dolomites, a section of the Italian Alps. But there I was, the night before our first leg, feeling a little nervous.

I love to hike and do so almost weekly when the weather is good. I love being in the mountains. They are majestic and powerful. Just looking at them inspires me, but few things are more rewarding than the exhilaration of reaching the top and seeing the breathtaking views.

Hiking this stretch of terrain had been a dream. But this intimidated me for some reason. I was older and more out of shape than I wanted to be. Was I prepared enough? Would I have the stamina?

Even then, when I woke up the next day I was not going to sit at the base of the mountain and admire it from below.

Instead, I got up, fueled, hydrated, and headed out. And I climbed.

One step at a time.

Just as I had done on countless hikes before.

And it was amazing!

I would have been full of regret had I not ascended those mountains. The views were tremendous, and we seemed to find something spectacular around every corner.

Would I do it again? Absolutely.

We all have figurative mountains in our lives that become obstacles on our path. They can be daunting as we sit at the base and look up at them. That said, we do not have to let any mountain hinder our journey; there are ways to conquer them one step at a time.

Faith To Move Mountains

Sometimes God removes our mountains through miracles.

In the Book of Ether, we read that the brother of Jared “said unto the mountain Zerin, Remove—and it was removed. And if he had not had faith it would not have moved; wherefore [the Lord] workest after men have faith” (Ether 12:30).

Indeed, we know faith can move mountains. Jacob taught that as we build faith through the basics— scripture, prayer, testimony, and revelation–that faith can become unshaken:

“Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea” (Jacob 4:6).

President Russell M. Nelson taught that “through your faith, Jesus Christ will increase your ability to move the mountains in your life, even though your personal challenges may loom as large as Mount Everest. Your mountains may be loneliness, doubt, illness, or other personal problems. Your mountains will vary, and yet the answer to each of your challenges is to increase your faith.”¹

He also taught that moving mountains may require a miracle, and that miracles come according to our faith in the Lord, His will, and His timetable.²

God can remove our figurative mountains if it is His will. But this is not always to our benefit. If He removes all of my mountains, then I lose something. I lose the strength that comes from the struggle of the ascent. I lose the reward of the breathtaking view. I lose the sense of accomplishment and the knowledge of my own strength that comes during the descent.

To that end, another, more common way God moves a mountain is to give us what we need to conquer it.

Faith to Climb Mountains

When we find ourselves at the base of a mountain that God is not removing, we have a choice. We can either sit or we can move.

If we choose to go over the mountain, how do we exercise faith?

With a real mountain, the preparation starts long before I ever set foot on the trail. I’ve worked my quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. I’ve fueled and hydrated properly. My body is ready to move. The figurative mountain is no different; our spiritual muscles need to be conditioned, and our souls need to be fed, so we have the stamina to endure.

Those spiritual muscles are Christlike attributes — patience, resilience, faith, courage, hope, diligence, and more. Strengthen these, and we can meet the challenge of ascending any mountain, regardless of the effort required.

And our fuel? Staying close to the Lord through the same basics Jacob pointed us to: scripture, prayer, testimony, and revelation.

With that preparation, we climb in faith. And when we reach the summit — even if the mountain hasn’t literally moved — our perspective has. Just like scaling a physical peak, the figurative mountain moves as we move. What was once in front of us is now beneath us. And when we descend and press forward, it moves again. Now it is behind us.

With all of this, we have this promise from President Nelson: “The Savior is never closer to you than when you are facing or climbing a mountain with faith.”³

Give Me This Mountain

In the Hebrew Bible, we read about Caleb, one of the twelve spies sent into Canaan to learn about the promised land.

They discovered that the land was rich and beautiful, but most of the spies came back afraid because “giants” lived there. Fear spread quickly through Israel, and the people wanted to turn back to Egypt.

But Caleb, along with Joshua, saw things differently.

Caleb trusted that if the Lord had promised them the land, He would also help them take it.

Years later, when the Israelites were finally able to enter the promised land, Caleb was able to claim his inheritance.

But he did not ask for the easy land already settled and safe.

He asked for the mountain still occupied by the giants that once terrified the nation.

“Give me this mountain,” he said, knowing that with the Lord’s help, he would be able to drive them out (see Joshua 14:12).

Even after all those years, and at an advanced age, Caleb still believed he could take on the difficult challenge with the help of the Lord.

President Spencer W. Kimball drew on Caleb’s words when he taught:

“There are great challenges ahead of us, giant opportunities to be met. I welcome that exciting prospect and feel to say to the Lord, humbly, ‘Give me this mountain,’ give me these challenges.”⁴

Get Ready to Climb

I feel the need to insert a song here to pump you up. You pick–“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” or “Climb Every Mountain”.

Regardless, here is what I want to say as you sit at the base of your mountain.

It may seem tall and insurmountable. I suppose they are supposed to be. After all, God created them. But He also created you. And he won’t give you any mountain that He will not either remove for you or help you traverse.

So don’t just sit at the base of the mountain and admire it from below. Act.

Remember the rewarding exhilaration of reaching the top and seeing the breathtaking views. You can conquer it one step at a time.

Just as you have done before.

And it will be amazing!

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1. Russell M. Nelson, “Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains“, General Conference, April 2021.
2. Russell M. Nelson, “Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains“, General Conference, April 2021.
3. Russell M. Nelson, “Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains“, General Conference, April 2021.
4. Spencer W. Kimball, “Give Me This Mountain“, General Conference, October 1979.