Sir Edmund Hillary died this past week, the first man known to have conquered Mt. Everest. Though I've never quite understood the spirit that moves men and women to climb mountains, I respect what they do. I've always felt there are enough mountains (mental, financial, emotional) to climb each day we get out of bed without adding the physical demands of moving one's body into the rarified air of 15,000, 20,000 or 25,000 feet.
Yet one must respect the men and women who tackle mountain peaks. They have to take serious precautions as they scale such rugged terrain. When people climb with others they utilize a safety feature called the "belayer." In climbing, a "belayer" is a cleat, a pin or other fixed object, even a person, who controls the amount of the rope fed out to a climber. If a climber loses his balance or falls, the belayer holds him securely until he can regain his footing and continue his ascent or descent. To "belay" is to anchor, hold securely, or keep safe.
Life is the mountain we are climbing, and Jesus is the best "belayer" we can have. People can help us, but people can also fail. Jesus never fails. He is always there for us. People can be good belayers (that's part of why we should seek friends) but Jesus is the best. People can be taken from us through illness, accident, tragedy or personal choice. They may not be able to hold us tightly enough to keep us from falling. But Jesus can and He will, if we will but trust Him.
Do you have a belayer, someone you can trust when you stumble, or lose your grip during your climb in life? Are you a belayer for someone else, holding their rope in times of spiritual or physical trials? Should you be? A pastor can be a belayer for his church, but members can and should belay other members as well. But if you are not in a church, or do not have that special friend in your life, who will keep you from falling?
Whose rope could you hold for someone else?
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