Our Church is located on the sixth floor. Since it is not a height to go up and down easily, many members use the elevator. Last autumn, the rooftop of the building got flooded with rainwater due to a typhoon, and the elevator got out of order. When we asked a repair company, the worker replied that it would take about two weeks to repair it. We would have to walk up the stairs to attend the early morning and evening worship services during the upcoming feast.
The building where Zion is located has a higher ceiling than residential ones, so it has a lot of stairs. When walking up the stairs with my child for a worship service, I felt like I was climbing up a high mountain. It was even harder when I volunteered to serve meals. I had to walk up the stairs to the sixth floor with groceries. While the elevator was in repair, the prayer week began. Whenever walking up the stairs, I would run out of breath and my legs would be cramped up. Two weeks passed by in this way. Meanwhile, what changes did I have?
Normally, the only exercise I did was just breathing. As a result, I had very poor stamina. I easily felt fatigued, and would be lazy with an excuse that I needed to rest to recharge my energy. For the first few days after the elevator got out of order, it felt like my legs were about to burst if I only went up to the second floor. Taking rest in between floors, I would almost crawl up to the sixth floor. However, on the tenth day, a miracle happened. It was a great miracle for me. I was able to walk up to the fourth floor without taking a break. And in a few days from then, I walked up to the sixth floor at once.
After I developed muscle strength, I even felt a sense of accomplishment when I arrived at the Church. It felt like I walked up to the summit of a mountain. It is said that people become friends on the mountain although they meet one another for the first time. It’s because they know what a tough journey it is to get to the top of the mountain. For the same reason, I was very glad when I met Zion members on the stairs. I affectionately greeted them, and when I arrived at Zion, I always thanked them for the hard work of walking up the stairs to Zion with a smile.
Thanks to the uncomfortable situation, I became healthier and our brotherly and sisterly love become deeper while we were walking up the “Mount Zion.” There is not a single reason to complain.