A Successful Climb, or aTragic Fall
An alumni of Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship - Boston introduced me to indoor rock climbing when she was a student at Boston University years ago. Celeste told me about this new sport, (which also has its own vocabulary), and helped me try it on a fall retreat in New Hampshire. I didn’t know a carabiner from a cantaloupe. I thought a hex was something that witches would utilize in their line of work. Now I know that a carabiner is a metal loop that you use to attach safety devices, and a hex is something you can put in a crack to keep you from falling when you are climbing outdoors.
Then there are the two key terms used in climbing: bouldering and belaying. Bouldering is climbing rocks freestyle - without a rope to stop you if you fall. Belaying means you are climbing with the help of a rope, and a companion is holding the rope for your safety. One is solo, the other is done with the help of others (or communal).
It seems to me that this is a good way to examine our spiritual lives. Are we using the bouldering or the belaying method? Are we trying to make it by ourselves in our walk with Jesus, or are we seeking and relying on the help of others? Before you answer, remember that it in rock climbing, the danger of falling is much greater if we are bouldering our way through life.
When you go it alone spiritually, you run the danger of coming up with some very bad ideas about the Christian life and the faith, not to mention the Bible. You also run the risk of growing tired and falling spiritually because you have no support system. Even if you have a lot of others bouldering with you, you are not connected and can’t really help each other.
The belaying method is the way to go. Find a trusted brother or sister in Christ to mutually support one another in life. Join a small group Bible study on campus to build and develop faith and friendship. Take initiative to live in community, like the picture of the first century church in Acts 2:42-47. Live communally.
It could make a difference between a successful climb, or a tragic fall.
Key: Going through life alone leads to a lonely end.
Love is a verb,
Mike O
