Mountains to Climb: Resentment, Fear and Mistrust, Pride, and Guilt

Anne Murray wrote the lyrics for a great song she performs called “The Other Side,” that captures some of the trepidation we all have about climbing the mountains that stand between us and our fondest dreams:

There are mountains – we need to climb
But the mountains standing in our way are only in our minds
And the risk of going nowhere is the greatest risk of all
So just listen to the voice that says
I’ll catch you if you fall

On the other side of doubt is faith
On the other side of pain lies strength
The journey may seem endless
And You know the road is rough
But on the other side of fear… is love

(You can listen to the song here)

Most of us will experience four significant mountains we must climb over to find peace and fulfillment in our lives and relationships. A man at a recent LIFE Marriage Retreat put it this way:

“My Everest is Resentment. My K2 is Fear and Mistrust. My Kilimanjaro is Pride. My Timpanogos (the mountain at our Sundance, Utah location) is Guilt.”

Resentment, Fear (and lack of trust), Pride, and Guilt are the broad categories of negative feelings and beliefs that form most of the barriers that stand between us and our loved ones when we are disconnected from them. Examine your own feelings and you will likely find one or all of them there.

Most of our tips in these newsletters are, by necessity, brief and focused on one narrow relationship issue or another. There is no such luxury with these particular mountains that haunt our relationships. They are real and deadly and there is no simple tip that will give you everything needed to overcome them. For now, the tip is simply this: Evaluate your feelings; Identify the mountains that stand before you and the joy you seek; Commit to start climbing.

This is one of those very rare occasions when we issue a specific call to action regarding our services: Do not allow these mountains to forever stand between you and your dreams. If you are ready to resolve them once and for all, contact LIFE Marriage Retreats and learn how couples consistently overcome resentment, fear, trust issues, pride, and guilt at our Retreats, replacing them with love, acceptance, trust, forgiveness, commitment, and strength through humility.

You are worth it; your partner is worth it; your relationship is worth it. Move out of the shadows of the threatening mountains and up to the sunlight of joyful, safe, fulfilling relationships.