We Eat Mount Maunganui for Breakfast!

by Katherine Wallace | Mar 2, 2022 | Inspiration, Mid-Week Motivation, Family | 1 comment

Climbing the Mountain

We all face challenges that, from time to time, loom like mountains before us, seemingly impossible to climb, but equally impossible to avoid. But sometimes the motivation you need to keep going might just come from the least expected place — or member of your family.

In 2018, my family took a trip to New Zealand. We spent my daughter’s birthday in Tauranga, a lovely seaside town on the east coast of the North Island. Since she was turning seven, we asked her to make a list of seven things she would like to do on her special day. Number 3 was “Climb Mount Maunganui.”

The day was unexpectedly hot; the trail alternated between steep slope, steps laid into the path, and some very brief moments of respite along more leisurely terrain; and I was feeling terribly out of shape. Before we were half-way up, I was puffing. Two thirds of the way and I had decided the family should continue without me. But my daughter would not let me give up. Her ‘you can do it Mummy’, ‘just keep going’, ‘we’re almost there’, got me to the summit. And yes, the incredible views were definitely worth it. We oohed and aahed over the vista, took heaps of selfies, found a quiet spot in a mountain meadow, and had some Sunday morning family worship time. Rested and refreshed, we took the longer (but less steep) trail down the other side and headed to number 4 on the list—fish and chips on the beach.

A New Family Motto

Later, over afternoon coffee and hot chocolate (number 6), we laughed about the morning’s exertions and reflected on its rewards. As we chatted, my daughter noticed a saying printed around the rim of her cup: ‘We eat coffee for breakfast’. Confused, she asked, “how can you ‘eat’ coffee? Shouldn’t it say we ‘drink’ coffee for breakfast?”

I explained that the saying ‘to eat something for breakfast’ means that you conquer something or succeed at it with little effort. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “Like, some people think it’s hard to climb a mountain, but we eat Mount Maunganui for breakfast!”

That phrase became a favourite family motto. Now, whenever someone finds something too challenging or is tempted to give up, one of us invariably reminds them that “we eat Mount Maunganui for breakfast.” So, whatever your mountain is, keep going, you can do it, you’re almost there. And when you reach the summit, you too will say that you eat that mountain for breakfast! After all, the views from the top are worth it. Not to mention number 7 on the list—soaking in the hot springs, under the stars, at the end of the day.

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So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

Galatians 6:9