There are many times when I am out walking with others that I hear them asking me or telling me to keep back from the edge. This frequently happens when I am probably in no danger whatsoever but those with me remember the time when I took a head dive from a very narrow path and fell down into a deep ravine.
That night still lives vividly in my memory. I can remember the moment of slipping and the many thoughts that rushed through my brain between the top and the bottom.It was one of those life flashing before me moments, but it was a life-changing moment.
Life changing in that I awoke the next morning and my hair had turned white overnight. Between the top and the bottom, I had decided to give up being a minister. I had not decided what I was going to do instead but I knew that my days in the ministry had come to an end.
Maybe my walking companions do not want to be with me through another such life-changing time?
This brought back memories of the tale, a true tale, of another man climbing a mountain.
The night fell heavy on the heights of the mountains and the man could not see anything. There was zero visibility; the moon and the stars were covered by the clouds.
When he was just a few feet below the top of the mountain, he slipped and fell into the air, falling at great speed. He could see only black spots as he went down, and feel the terrible sensation of being sucked in by gravity.
He kept falling, and in those moments of great fear, all the good and bad episodes of his life came to his mind. He was thinking now about how close death was getting when all of a sudden he felt the rope tied around his waist pull him very hard.
His body was hanging in the air. Only the rope was holding him.
In that moment of stillness, he had no choice other than to scream, “Somebody help me.”
All of a sudden, a deep voice coming from above answered, “What do you want me to do?”
“Save me”
“Do you really think I can save you?”
“Of course, I believe you can.”
“Then cut the rope tied to your waist.”
There was a moment of silence. The moment passed, and the man decided to hold on to the rope with all his strength.
The rescue team says that the next day, the climber was found dead and frozen, his body hanging from a rope, and his hands holding it tight. He was only one foot away from the ground.
How attached are we to our ropes? Will we let them go?
Sometimes we just have to make decisions in life that are not easy to make. Often we hold onto the rope that stops us making the decision and we stay stuck in the same routine that is bringing us down.
Taking the easy path is not always the correct path.
Have a wonderful day.
No comments:
Post a Comment