God's Coaching #132

God's Coaching #132

It was the mountaintops that Ed Viesturs didn’t reach that made the biggest difference. Those were the ones that kept him alive to climb all the rest. On this day in 2005, Ed stood on top of Annapurna, a Himalayan mountain that is 26,545 feet high. It was the last of the world’s 14 tallest mountains—those over 26,000 feet—that Ed had left to climb. Ed was the first American to accomplish this feat without using extra oxygen and only the fifth person in the whole world to complete this challenge.

It took Ed 16 years to climb the 14 tallest peaks. Why didn’t he rush to finish sooner? Because Ed likes to live. He had attempted Annapurna three years earlier but had turned around because of dangerous conditions. He also once turned around only 300 feet below the summit of Mount Everest. That would have been a hard decision for most people to make. But Ed knew it was the best call.

Mountain climbing is a dangerous sport. Ed knew that reaching the top is only half the accomplishment—the other half is making it back down alive. That’s especially true above 26,000 feet, where it’s called the “death zone” because there’s so little oxygen in the air that the human body starts to slowly shut down. Most climbers use extra oxygen bottles that high. Ed didn’t. He believed if he couldn’t make it totally on his own physical strength, then he couldn’t make it. Other climbers greatly respected Ed for his patience, experience, and wisdom—especially in the highest, most dangerous places.

What’s the Score?

Ed showed wisdom as a mountain climber. He not only had knowledge and strength, but he had the wisdom to make good decisions while he was climbing. The Bible says a lot about wisdom. Proverbs 4:6 says, “Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you.”

Wisdom definitely protected Ed. And wisdom will protect us in life. A lot of wisdom is learned through patience and experience. But you can also gain wisdom by following good advice from the Bible, your parents, and other older Christians. Your good decisions will lead to good results. The more you learn, the wiser you’ll become.

On the Ball

Learn from your mistakes, too. What was the last thing you got in trouble for? How could you have avoided it? How will you avoid it next time by showing wisdom?

Coach’s Comment

Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. Proverbs 4:6