Learning to Climb

Climbing Mount Everest, Trekking the sands of the Sierra, Sailing across the Pacific, and diving to the depths of hidden worlds; all notable feats.

For some of us, the curve for adventure begins at an early age. We begin taking risks and reaping benefits of our achievements or the consequences of our failures. Either way, it's about meeting the challenge and defying the odds.

Yet still, there is something much larger at risk...


Our daughter, Lilly, has just hit the climbing stage. In the blink of an eye she is on the couch, in the chair, on the table! Ever since her first success at scaling our loveseat, Lilly has been after adventure, risk and success at just about any cost... even bumps and bruises. Some of her biggest climbs have led to her most painful falls. And still, as the tears are drying on her face, she is at it again!

In life, we have many mountains to climb, desert places to trek, rough waters to cross, and depths to recover from. The adrenalin rush of such challenges is the reason some attempt to overcome such obstacles. For others it's about proving something to themselves or others. There are also those who overcome in order to help others. Then there are those of us who only attempt to overcome significant challenges once in life due to failure or fear of. No matter our cup of tea, it's how we drink that determines our true risk factors.

As a believer, every obstacle we face can be overcome in one of two ways. We can depend on our own strength or we can search deeper within us to find a Source of strength greater than us. If it's our own strength in which we depend then our success will make us who we are and our failures will determine how long we stay that person. If finding our Source from something greater within us than who we are is determined by that Source... Success or Failure not withstanding.

The larger risk here isn't whether we succeed or fail, but what our success and our failures do to our identity. Imagine if my daughter had a 100% success rate at climbing our furniture until one day she has a hard fall (breaking daddy's heart). What if that one fall caused her to never want to sit on another piece of furniture her entire life. Imagine if you will that every time she saw a chair she became paralyzed with fear. What kind of life would that be?

Here's the point, too many times in our life and faith we grade who we are by our success and our failure. Some of us predetermine our limits based on our fear of failing. Yet, God's word tells us that He is our strength, our portion and our life. God's grade scale isn't whether we make it up the mountain or down to the depths of the sea, but Who we depended on to get there.

  Whom have I in heaven but You?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.

My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

~ Psalm 73:25-26

My little Lilly climbs successfully, falls ungraciously, and gets back up every time knowing that I am right there with her, watching her. I am not always certain of the outcome and can't always catch her when she falls, but aren't you glad our Heavenly Father knows every challenge we engage and every failure we face! The only success we have is in His presence, and the only failure we will know is if we are void of it.

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