Christian Living

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I readied myself for the climb. Checklist: safety gear, anchors, bolts, gloves, rope, cam, cell phone, water. I reviewed the signs for hypoxia, and for high altitude dumb.

I know it is risky to climb alone and I should have waited for my partner, but decided to go ahead and climb solo today. I was pumped for the climb and tired of waiting on him. He is never ready to just get after it like I am on our hiking days. So today, he was lagging behind again and I decided to go it alone.

I practiced my knot-tying one more time, checked my gear, reviewed the techniques that would be required to accomplish this climb. I surveyed what I could see of the mountain side, and then began to proceed, feeling my way along the rocky slopes and crevasses. Not too far in, my partner showed up at the base and called to me to wait.

“Come back down and let’s do this together. You know the drill, man, don’t go it alone.“

“No, you come up here.” I yelled back. He just stood his ground.

I was angry, but I knew he was right, so I began back down the way I had come.

When I reached the bottom, he asked “What are you dressed up for? What is all this stuff?”, pointing to my gear.

“It’s my mountain climbing gear. You know what it is.” – man, he’s getting on my nerves! First he shows up late, and now he is making fun of me?

Finally he said, “If you would have waited for me, we could have assessed the mountain together. Let’s take some time and do that now.... Look, this is what I see.” He pointed, and my eyes followed the direction he was pointing. there was no mountain, it was a little sandy spot in the road, like a mole hill! We could just step over it and keep hiking.

Then my Partner said, in His distinct still small voice: “if you wait on Me, you don’t have to make mountains out of molehills. And, if you wait on me, we can face whatever comes your way together.”

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