The Rock That Is Higher

"From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I."
Psalm 61:2

Knees shaking, fingers trembling, arms reaching, looking up. Rock Climbing is a great sport. I'm just a newbie to it in the grand scheme of things but from the first time I tried it I loved it. There is a great feeling of personal achievement when clinging to the side of a rock. There is a goal that you're looking at (usually its the top) and you need to find the route to get to it. Sometimes, the route is very obvious, but sometimes its nearly impossible.

I only have learned to do climbing with a top rope so far. You definitely have to trust the person on the ground belaying you. Your very life can be in their hands if you slip. If you have complete trust then you have some level of security that allows you to take a few risks when you're on a top rope because you know that they won't let you fall.

You also have to have some trust in the rock you are climbing on. Not all rock is good for this sport. Some rock is like shale, it easily will break off in your hands making it too dangerous to climb. Other rock is too smooth, and then it is too difficult to find hand holds or foot holds. And then there is the good hard rock, rough & bumpy, with cracks & crevices, perfect for climbers. You will believe that this rock will not give way on you.

I often think of that verse while climbing "lead me to the rock that is higher than I". In some ways it can be a metaphor. Going through troubles in life, you may look to God to lift you up, to protect you and to bring you through them. You may be reminded also that God is the rock that you can lean on during these times, he is unchanging & unmoving. Many times in the Bible God is referred to as our rock like in Psalm 62: 6-7 "...He only is my rock and my salvation...the rock of my strength and my refuge..."

For me, the verse was even more true than just metaphorically, because the first time I tried rock climbing, my heart was in a bad place, it was overwhelmed with things in life & I was lacking self-esteem & confidence. Encouraged to give it a try, I went rock climbing with my brother, his wife & a friend. What an amazing feeling to be clinging to rock that was 'higher' than I was, trusting in myself to hang on & trusting in someone else to not let me fall. Adrenaline rush? Definitely? But an exercise in trust & self-confidence, even more! I loved it & knew I wanted to do more of it! .

Of course rock climbing wasn't the only thing to pull me out of my tough time but it was a new found passion that came alive & little by little the other things about me came back to life too. And sometimes now, when I'm climbing something a little more difficult, can't find a hand hold or feeling like giving up & climbing back down, I think of that verse & am reminded that God, my rock, will give me the strength to climb to the rock a little higher than I am!

Photo is of my friend Janine who climbed with us in the summer.