Intentional Steps: Learning from the Mountain

My family and I are enjoying a quick Spring Break trip to Arizona. The blue skies are truly a blessing. In my opinion, one of God's greatest gifts is feeling His sun shining on your face and warming your body. In Ohio, we go without this blessing for a few months every year, so it's nice to have a day or two of reprieve in some sunshine.

Today, we hiked Camelback—our third year in a row. The reasons we love it are that it's close, familiar, and always presents a small challenge. It's not an easy trail or a paved walkway. It’s uphill, requiring you to climb over boulders and use both your hands and feet. The way up is great, but it's the way down that requires more careful focus and attention. One misstep and you could take a dangerous tumble.

God is so good that He embeds little life lessons into His creation—they're everywhere we turn. Today as we hiked, I was reminded of how I often feel in business: sometimes focused on the long-term future, but mostly concentrating on the day-to-day. On the mountain, we stopped to look "up" every now and then to see where we were going, but the majority of our attention was glued to our very next step. Isn't that how it is? Depending on the cycle of business we're in, we may have more time to dream and plan for the long-term vision, or we may be in a spot where a dangerous misstep could actually hurt.

Each day is important, and right now I think many of us are feeling that more than ever with the changing landscapes we've faced over the past few years. I'm reminded of a simple but profound quote from Jesus in Matthew 6:34:
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Every day, every step, every decision has an impact on the "right now." Our daily attention and commitment to our various missions are important, but it's the little things and the actions we take with others where the real mission comes to life. Like on the mountain, I cannot reach my goal just by staring at it—I have to walk, even when I'm tired or when it hurts.

Today, I learned from God's amazing creation and the words of His Son: keep taking intentional steps. It's okay to have an aim, but focus more on being excellent today. Tomorrow will worry about itself.

-Mark