Everyone wants to climb a mountain but the process is down right frightening. I recently went to an indoor rock climbing facility with a buddy of mine. This was something I have been wanting to do and something I want to do more of. But I had been hesitant because I have a small fear of heights.
Not to be deterred by this fear, mainly because I don’t want my children to be a prisoner to fear I went for it. After I my initial experience I am hooked and I want to continue this new hobby. But more than finding a new hobby I gained some insight. Climbing a vertical wall with just some tiny rock like holds is not something I would naturally do. In fact the first time up the wall I was short of breath and questioning my decision. Luckily for me my friend has been climbing for 20 years and was there to help.
As I have reflected on this I am seeing that in climbing the mountains in our life we are risking much. As with any risk there is the fear that we won’t make it and end up disappointed. If we let this keep us from trying then we become a slave to fear. If we go for it and fail then we are left with disappointment. That disappointment has the potential to derail us from all that God as called us to.
Take a moment and think of a time you have been disappointed. If you stay in that place of disappointment you will not likely risk big again. But if you journey back to that place of disappointment then you will find like Jacob did you are given a new identity (but more of that soon).
So what did rock climbing teach me about risking and facing disappointments…
You need encouragement. You need people around you who will tell you are gonna make it and you have what it takes.
You need to be challenged. I needed my friend to tell me he knew it was hard but to not give up. When it gets hard and I want to quit I need others who will not let me quit.
And I needed technique. I needed someone who knew more than me that could tell me what to do next and where to place my feet so I could make my next move.
In other words you need people and you need to receive from them.
We all want to leave our mark on this world but we can only do so by facing our disappoints and learning our true identity. By doing this we unlock the power of unlocking others.
A Look Behind the Curtain 