I'm a big Bear Grylls fan.
Can you blame me?
The man is brilliant.
He climbs mountains and makes sleeping bags out of sheep carcasses and eats things that most higher mammals turn up their nose at.
In one of Bear's books, "The Kid Who Climbed Everest", he talks about his experience as a 23-year old climbing the world's tallest mountain.
Climbing a mountain like Everest is a long process. But Bear's first experience climbing above Base Camp nearly ended his life. He, one of his climbing partners, and two sherpas who rig the safety ropes on the slope set out to climb the first stretch of the mountain known as the Khumbu Icefall. The Icefall is a solid sheet of ice that is extremely dangerous due to its instability. Climbers take care to be out of the Icefall by 2:00 p.m., when the sun is beating down directly overhead melting the ice. It was 1:47 p.m. and Bear and his partner were heading out of the Icefall.
"I unclipped, and clipped into the next rope down, and leant against the ice, recovering. Suddenly the ground just opened up beneath me. The ice cracked for a transient second, then just collapsed. My legs buckled beneath me and I was falling. I tumbled down, bouncing against the gray walls of the crevasse that before had been hidden by a thin veneer of ice. I carried on falling, then suddenly was jerked to a violent halt, as the rope held me firm. The falling ice crashed into my skull, jerking my neck backwards. I lost conciousness for a few precious seconds. I came to, to see the ice falling away below me into the darkness, as my body gently swung around on the end of the rope. It was eerily silent." - Bear Grylls
Luckily for Bear, the rope, that wasn't designed for impact falls, miraculously held his weight. Bear prayed and urged the rope to hold until he felt strong pulls on the rope. Nima and Pasang, the two Sherpa men, were pulling him out. Bear owed his life to these two brave and courageous men.
I doubt many of you have had a similar experience with a crevasse on an Everest slope, but we all have experienced falls. And I'm not talking about slipping on an icy sidewalk, or loosing your footing in a crowded cafeteria (which trust me, I've had my fair share of). I mean spiritual and emotional falls; Falls resulting from letting go of promises, of convictions, of truth. Falls from un-met expectations and shattered dreams.
I have experienced many of these falls. I'm falling, twisting, and turning, bracing myself for the crash I just know lays ahead, only to find myself suspended in midair, held securely by the hands of Christ. Those strong, nail-pierced hands.
Bear was shaken by his fall, but he didn't let his fear interfere with his goal. He got back up and climbed the mountain, and became the youngest British man to summit Everest.
After our falls, Christ is urging us to do the same thing; Try again.
We are all on a great climb. That summit is high and the risks are higher. But Christ has given us the harness of His Holy Spirit. With this climb comes weariness and fear. You may lose your footing or your focus. You lose your grip and you fall. For a moment, you're tumbling wildly and out of control, but then, the rope tightens. The harness holds. And you look up and see Jesus pulling you up out of your abyss. Your trust in your Savior builds and your journey resumes.
Climbing a mountain like Everest is a long process. But Bear's first experience climbing above Base Camp nearly ended his life. He, one of his climbing partners, and two sherpas who rig the safety ropes on the slope set out to climb the first stretch of the mountain known as the Khumbu Icefall. The Icefall is a solid sheet of ice that is extremely dangerous due to its instability. Climbers take care to be out of the Icefall by 2:00 p.m., when the sun is beating down directly overhead melting the ice. It was 1:47 p.m. and Bear and his partner were heading out of the Icefall.
"I unclipped, and clipped into the next rope down, and leant against the ice, recovering. Suddenly the ground just opened up beneath me. The ice cracked for a transient second, then just collapsed. My legs buckled beneath me and I was falling. I tumbled down, bouncing against the gray walls of the crevasse that before had been hidden by a thin veneer of ice. I carried on falling, then suddenly was jerked to a violent halt, as the rope held me firm. The falling ice crashed into my skull, jerking my neck backwards. I lost conciousness for a few precious seconds. I came to, to see the ice falling away below me into the darkness, as my body gently swung around on the end of the rope. It was eerily silent." - Bear Grylls
Luckily for Bear, the rope, that wasn't designed for impact falls, miraculously held his weight. Bear prayed and urged the rope to hold until he felt strong pulls on the rope. Nima and Pasang, the two Sherpa men, were pulling him out. Bear owed his life to these two brave and courageous men.
I doubt many of you have had a similar experience with a crevasse on an Everest slope, but we all have experienced falls. And I'm not talking about slipping on an icy sidewalk, or loosing your footing in a crowded cafeteria (which trust me, I've had my fair share of). I mean spiritual and emotional falls; Falls resulting from letting go of promises, of convictions, of truth. Falls from un-met expectations and shattered dreams.
I have experienced many of these falls. I'm falling, twisting, and turning, bracing myself for the crash I just know lays ahead, only to find myself suspended in midair, held securely by the hands of Christ. Those strong, nail-pierced hands.
Bear was shaken by his fall, but he didn't let his fear interfere with his goal. He got back up and climbed the mountain, and became the youngest British man to summit Everest.
After our falls, Christ is urging us to do the same thing; Try again.
We are all on a great climb. That summit is high and the risks are higher. But Christ has given us the harness of His Holy Spirit. With this climb comes weariness and fear. You may lose your footing or your focus. You lose your grip and you fall. For a moment, you're tumbling wildly and out of control, but then, the rope tightens. The harness holds. And you look up and see Jesus pulling you up out of your abyss. Your trust in your Savior builds and your journey resumes.
Satan can use fear to distract you or turn you from your goal. But whatever you do, don't quit. Although your falls are great, his strength is greater. You will make it. You will reach the summit. You will make it to the top.
"To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." - Jude 1:24-25
"To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." - Jude 1:24-25
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