Face The Mountain
On June 3, 2017, rock climber Alex Honnold completed the first free solo climb of El Capitan, a 3,000-foot vertical granite rock face at Yosemite National Park, in California USA. He did so with no ropes. No harnesses. No safety net. And he survived. When I watched his climb, which was filmed for the 2018 documentary “Free Solo”, I was in awe and I was nervous,
even though I was safe at home in my living room!
This epic climb reminded me of a similar Biblical event from 1 Samuel 14 in the Michmash Valley where Israel’s army was at a stalemate with, and far outnumbered by the Philistine army. King Saul was seated under a pomegranate tree, on pause, waiting…for who knows what! But Jonathan, Saul’s son, made a risky, faith-filled decision to take the fight to the enemy. This would require stepping out from cover and concealment, and then “free soloing” a cliff on which the enemy enjoyed high ground. Without hesitation, his armor bearer agreed to join him in this seemingly suicidal mission. They had to know it wouldn’t be easy. But they also knew that some movement was better than sitting still. They believed that meaningful action fueled by faith would attract God’s mighty hand of powerful assistance…and it did!
They ignored mocking and insults. They scuffed their fingers and knees all the way up the cliff face. They battled to keep their footing. But they had made a decision. Forward. Upward. They were not stopping short. They could not be deterred or dissuaded. And in staying the course, they showed deep faith, real faith; and they changed the momentum of the battlefield. Their willingness to step up, push the boundaries of acceptable, and take the fight to their enemies, aligned them with God’s desire to act on their behalf and therefore, the enemy was routed, scattered, pursued and defeated! And the army behind them got into the fight too!
I want to be among the Alex Honnold’s of the world…those that show others what’s possible with a little daring action and a willingness to stare three-thousand feet of granite fear in the face and climb anyway! And I want to be among the Jonathan’s who have such great faith, they’re willing to go toe to toe with an enemy, even when vastly outnumbered.
I’m no free climber for sure, but facing mountains will teach you lots about yourself. Years ago, my first ever half marathon was a single-track trail run up a ski mountain near Durango, CO with over 2,000 feet of elevation gain, and we started at high elevation. There are beasts out there that eat races like these for breakfast, but I was a rookie, and this was a challenge. The morning of the race was stormy. So stormy that the race was almost cancelled but in a last-minute decision, the starting gun went off. It was in the high 30’s with sideways rain and sleet. And at the start there was so much lightning that many runners opted to sit this one out. I didn't even know that until the end. I had my head down and I was going, no matter what. The run was tough, and my endurance was tested. I even “supermanned” face first, flying flat out through the air on the downhill, after tripping on a rock and sliced my hands and knees, and tore my leggings…yep, you read that right! But the views from the top were worth their weight in gold.
The nastier and colder the weather got, the tougher I became! And with every person I witnessed hitching a dry ride down the back half, my confidence grew! I wasn’t fast and I was far from first, but I finished. Completing a challenging ordeal against that mountain made me an overcomer — made me roar!
What if we didn’t let fear, doubt, or discomfort dictate our decisions?
I know you can change momentum and atmospheres
with the faith and fight inside you!
This week, just like in a trail run, as you make one small decision to get up and get moving, one step at a time…and then you repeat it, no matter how gritty things look, you’ll be on your way!
Make a decision to advance on an enemy, a low belief, a lie, or a problem, just like Jonathan did, and in doing so, you’ll be in partnership with God’s trustworthy nature to help you, guide you, and lead you to victory for “nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.”
We are more powerful than we realize. We don’t fear the mountain in front of us… we face it!
We are designed to ROAR with faith and fight!