God's Coaching #182

God's Coaching #182

Alex Honnold and Sean Leary had been rock climbing for 24 hours straight in Yosemite National Park. By the time they finally decided to stop, the pair had broken the speed record for consecutive ascents. That sounds impressive, doesn’t it? It was downright mindblowing to the climbing world because the guys had been climbing El Capitan, which rises 3,000 feet almost straight up. Most climbers take three to five days to climb the iconic mountain, setting up platforms to sleep in at night. Alex and Sean climbed it three times in just one day!

Alex and Sean followed three major routes called The Nose, Salathe Wall, and Lurking Fear. By the time they were done, they had covered 85 pitches, or big sections, and 8,200 vertical feet. Alex normally did a lot of free-climbing without using ropes. (If he had fallen, he would have died—so he tried hard not to fall.) But he and Sean used ropes on El Cap. They may be insane but they weren’t stupid. Would you want to fall 3,000 feet? They were understandably tired when they finished on July 1, 2010—and ready to eat some pizza.

What’s the Score?

Have you ever rock climbed? It can be scary, and it’s hard. But it’s an awesome feeling when you reach the top! A big part of climbing is mental. As long as you’re connected to a safety rope, you can’t fall. Sure, you can slip off the rock, but the rope is there to catch you and keep you safe. Convincing your brain of that fact when you’re way off the ground can be tricky. You have to put your trust in your rope and keep moving.

In a similar way, we have to step out and trust that God is with us. Peter gave us a good example in the Bible when he walked on water in Matthew 14:22-32. Sure, he sank when he stopped looking at Jesus and got scared. But Peter put his faith into real action by getting out of the boat. None of the other disciples even tried.

Don’t be content to stay in the boat or on the ground. Put your faith into action, and trust Jesus to hold up your climbing rope. You’ll be amazed by the view at the top.

On the Ball

Go rock climbing if you can, and think about how the experience is like trusting God. If you can’t go climbing, take a step of faith and do something that you’ve been hesitant about.

Coach’s Comment

“Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. Matthew 14:29