Facing Up

For a couple of years, now, I've been an avid fan of a guy who many find to be a bit, well, crazy. His name is Bear Grylls, main-man of the Discovery Channel's hit series "Man vs. Wild," a devout Christian, and former SAS serviceman. If you don't know much about Grylls, let's just say that he shows people how they can survive if put in a life-threatening situation in nature (although I'm sure he knows how to defend himself, since he was SAS, his show is about surviving on your own, in the wild). He does this by showing people what plants and animals are edible (often raw), how to build shelter, how to navigate and all sorts of other survival techniques. Just a week or so ago, some boys who fell through an ice-covered pond up north survived by copying what they had seen Grylls do after he was soaked in frigid water on a Patagonian glacier. They probably wouldn't have survived otherwise.

Many people don't know that Grylls is the author of a couple of books. He has written two books about his adventures, thus far, one called "Facing the Frozen Ocean" and the other called "Facing Up." I have just gotten done reading this particular book. Its main focus is on the harrowing adventure Grylls and a few of his comrades had as they scaled Everest in 1998. Upon completing this feat, Grylls, then 23, became the youngest Briton to scale the world's tallest mountain. It's a great adventure book, but, rather than being entirely focused on the physical aspect of his time on the mountain, the spiritual side continually shines through.

One of my favorite quotes from the book is one that Grylls has actually used on his show. It actually came from Grylls' father, who taught him how to climb from the time that Bear was a small boy. 

"You can never know how steep something is until you rub noses with it."

Life is often compared to being a mountain. Christ tells us that with faith we can move mountains. Mountains are places of beauty, serenity, and magic. Mountains bring rejuvenation. Do we catch a theme here?

How often do people simply sit back and whine about how "hard" their lives are? We are all guilty of acting as though life could just not get any worse, yet, if life is a mountain, how often do we really "rub noses" with it? How often do we get right up to it and see the steepness of it... whether it's a gently rolling hill or a sheer granite wall? Many of us mistake the cliffs for the dales and plains.

I know that, in my life and in my marriage, Carrie and I are about to face a new part of our climb. As we prepare for parenthood, there are many times that I can feel a bit overwhelmed and as though I'm scaling some massive mountain's face. But, when I realize, yet again, that God is the One who is leading us through this great adventure called life, it is not all that steep. Even the places that are tricky, He guides us through. As we prepare for a next step (no pun intended) with missions, the future can look greatly daunting, yet He has us in His hands! As we look to the future, and moving to Asia, buying homes, raising Christ-glorifying kids who will make His Name great among the nations, it can look like such an impossible task... and then I'm reminded. 

It's something that Bear Grylls took great hope and peace in as he climbed to the top of Everest.

It's something that we often sing worship songs about.

It's something that God's people, from King David to Believers in Burma today have held on to through all things this World can throw at us, even death.

Remembering that life is a mountain, the Psalmist speaks fresh spirit into our walks with Christ:

"I lift my eyes up to the mountains. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." (Psalm 121v.1-2)

The same One who created the heaven and earth, is the same One who is walking with His children up the mountains of their lives, of which He has created, seen us through, and rejoices in, with us. I cannot wait to dance on this mountaintop when all is said and done, joyfully giving praise to the One who was with me through the entire climb.