Climbing through life
Saturday I went climbing with some friends. I’ve only been twice before, and both experiences were more than five years ago. On each occasion I only did one climb because of fear. This time I was excited and thrilled to be doing something active again.
As we finished the required instruction, on belaying technique, I remained tied in to climb first. The person working the belaying tool pulls the slack of the rope through the device as the climber ascends to secure them. If they were to fall, they would be supported with their weight counter balanced by that of the person belaying on the ground below.
One of the guys in the group said to me, “Are you going to trust this guy with your life?” referring to my friend who would be belaying for me. It wasn’t a big deal, we were all friends. I trusted them all.
Then while I climbed, I was lost in thought about this trust that was involved in the sport, and how it is so similar to the trust we must place in our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ during our life. In the beginning of our assent we are very determined, energetic, and excited for the challenge that stands before us. We start with confidence and don’t always give direct thought to who supports us. As we continue on, searching for a route to get us to our destination, we are faced with certain obstacles; a hand or foot hold that is just out of our reach or a grip that is not quite as supportive as we might hope, and will require more effort and strength on our part.
Just like in life, we are supported in each step we take. We reach for our desires, we stretch for our wants, and we strain for our needs. We do not always obtain each goal as we would hope, and sometimes must find another way upward. Still, we are always supported.
The terrain can change and slope out more horizontally, requiring us to exert more energy to pull against gravity, or the natural man, that would cause us to fall. Yet still, we can trust in the support we are given. With planning and preparation, we can condition ourselves for each obstacle. Just as we would condition our bodies, we can condition our spirits and testimonies. We can increase our strength for those difficult moments. However, whether we are weak or strong as we face the challenge of life, we are still supported.
It is easy to let our hearts be filled with fear. We can allow that fear to overcome us and cause us immobility, forcing us to cling to the wall, too worried to move in any direction. Or we can move about freely, reaching for any goal we desire, partaking of each blessing that awaits us. We naturally look for His support more often during those trying moments, than we do when everything seems easy. By holding faith in our hearts and our minds, even at those moments when we feel tired and our strength is gone, and we tremble from fatigue, and we wonder who will hear our cries, we will find peace in knowing and trusting that He is still there. He will always be there and will hold us in his love.
Some of life’s challenges and obstacles are severe enough that we will slip or even fall. But He stands beside us and holds us tight. It might take some time to recover from a fall. We may need to rest and find strength to continue. It might take hard work to get back on the wall, but we can trust in Him. We can trust in the strength and support He gives us. He has given all His strength and all His love to hold us, support us, and lift us from our fall.
Once we regain our stance on our journey, we continue on in faith from that same place from where we slipped. As if we did not fall at all, we loose no ground, only time. But He holds us always, giving us each the opportunity to reach the top.
He will never let us go, and if we put our faith in Him we can be lifted up.
As we finished the required instruction, on belaying technique, I remained tied in to climb first. The person working the belaying tool pulls the slack of the rope through the device as the climber ascends to secure them. If they were to fall, they would be supported with their weight counter balanced by that of the person belaying on the ground below.
One of the guys in the group said to me, “Are you going to trust this guy with your life?” referring to my friend who would be belaying for me. It wasn’t a big deal, we were all friends. I trusted them all.
Then while I climbed, I was lost in thought about this trust that was involved in the sport, and how it is so similar to the trust we must place in our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ during our life. In the beginning of our assent we are very determined, energetic, and excited for the challenge that stands before us. We start with confidence and don’t always give direct thought to who supports us. As we continue on, searching for a route to get us to our destination, we are faced with certain obstacles; a hand or foot hold that is just out of our reach or a grip that is not quite as supportive as we might hope, and will require more effort and strength on our part.
Just like in life, we are supported in each step we take. We reach for our desires, we stretch for our wants, and we strain for our needs. We do not always obtain each goal as we would hope, and sometimes must find another way upward. Still, we are always supported.
The terrain can change and slope out more horizontally, requiring us to exert more energy to pull against gravity, or the natural man, that would cause us to fall. Yet still, we can trust in the support we are given. With planning and preparation, we can condition ourselves for each obstacle. Just as we would condition our bodies, we can condition our spirits and testimonies. We can increase our strength for those difficult moments. However, whether we are weak or strong as we face the challenge of life, we are still supported.
It is easy to let our hearts be filled with fear. We can allow that fear to overcome us and cause us immobility, forcing us to cling to the wall, too worried to move in any direction. Or we can move about freely, reaching for any goal we desire, partaking of each blessing that awaits us. We naturally look for His support more often during those trying moments, than we do when everything seems easy. By holding faith in our hearts and our minds, even at those moments when we feel tired and our strength is gone, and we tremble from fatigue, and we wonder who will hear our cries, we will find peace in knowing and trusting that He is still there. He will always be there and will hold us in his love.
Some of life’s challenges and obstacles are severe enough that we will slip or even fall. But He stands beside us and holds us tight. It might take some time to recover from a fall. We may need to rest and find strength to continue. It might take hard work to get back on the wall, but we can trust in Him. We can trust in the strength and support He gives us. He has given all His strength and all His love to hold us, support us, and lift us from our fall.
Once we regain our stance on our journey, we continue on in faith from that same place from where we slipped. As if we did not fall at all, we loose no ground, only time. But He holds us always, giving us each the opportunity to reach the top.
He will never let us go, and if we put our faith in Him we can be lifted up.
