Sometimes God doesn't give us the success we long for, and we're consumed with frustration and failure. Here's what happened to me.
PART 2 OF FIFTH DAY
BACK AT THE ROCKS. . . .
The first climb I attempted was Showpiece. I was on that rock for an hour and twenty minutes. I just couldn’t reach around that large flake. I just lost all strength. It was so frustrating. There were many times when a small surge of strength came back and it got me a little higher, closer to my goal, but I just couldn’t get any further. I tried and tried and just couldn’t. I asked the Lord for strength and believed that I would make it past that hard half-way point, but I was just too burnt out.
All I could think about was yesterday's climb on Rogue Gallery. There I was, stuck, and I relied totally on the Lord. I asked for strength and in a full-fledged last effort I received the strength to climb up and over. I could just feel the Lord with me.
On the Showpiece climb I could feel the Lord with me all the way, but I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t making this climb. Why was the Lord withholding from me the success of that climb? I could see that my belayers were tiring and had to change, and Bob was telling me that I’ve been up for a long time. But I didn’t want to give up. I wanted that rock so bad!
The Lord didn’t, though.
He had different plans and they were contrary to my desires. I now think that I was wanting the success of getting to the top and not believing in the in the total success of giving it my total best, 110%! I had to let go of the pride there was inside that was hindering me and starting to block-out my trust in God and the crucial moment.
After one last attempt, which failed miserably, I had to accept that what I had attained was my limit, physically, at the time. I got down and almost collapsed from exhaustion, but in the eyes of my friends I didn’t fail.
For I had given my very best and that’s all they expected.
It was so encouraging to know that. I reached my limitations and was stretched far beyond anything before. I’m so thrilled to have been on this trip.
A long while after my attempt at Showpiece, I heard Bob say that it was time to start wrapping things up. I wanted to do one last climb before we left and didn’t know if I would be able to because of the time and, mostly, because of my exhausted muscles. At that moment the Finali climb was free and a last invitation to climb was given. No one else wanted to climb, so I said that I would like to.
I soon started up the cliff and found it slightly difficult in the low sections, but as I passed those spots I started enjoying myself and rebuilt my confidence in trusting the Lord to guide me to my goal and limit. I made it to the top and felt slightly “redeemed”, but it was a much easier climb than the Showpiece, which was rated as a 5.8-5.9 climb.
I learned so much about myself in these two days. The challenges were stretching and exhilarating and I would do them all over again whenever the opportunity arose.
BACK AT THE ROCKS. . . .
The first climb I attempted was Showpiece. I was on that rock for an hour and twenty minutes. I just couldn’t reach around that large flake. I just lost all strength. It was so frustrating. There were many times when a small surge of strength came back and it got me a little higher, closer to my goal, but I just couldn’t get any further. I tried and tried and just couldn’t. I asked the Lord for strength and believed that I would make it past that hard half-way point, but I was just too burnt out.
All I could think about was yesterday's climb on Rogue Gallery. There I was, stuck, and I relied totally on the Lord. I asked for strength and in a full-fledged last effort I received the strength to climb up and over. I could just feel the Lord with me.
On the Showpiece climb I could feel the Lord with me all the way, but I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t making this climb. Why was the Lord withholding from me the success of that climb? I could see that my belayers were tiring and had to change, and Bob was telling me that I’ve been up for a long time. But I didn’t want to give up. I wanted that rock so bad!
The Lord didn’t, though.
He had different plans and they were contrary to my desires. I now think that I was wanting the success of getting to the top and not believing in the in the total success of giving it my total best, 110%! I had to let go of the pride there was inside that was hindering me and starting to block-out my trust in God and the crucial moment.
After one last attempt, which failed miserably, I had to accept that what I had attained was my limit, physically, at the time. I got down and almost collapsed from exhaustion, but in the eyes of my friends I didn’t fail.
For I had given my very best and that’s all they expected.
It was so encouraging to know that. I reached my limitations and was stretched far beyond anything before. I’m so thrilled to have been on this trip.
A long while after my attempt at Showpiece, I heard Bob say that it was time to start wrapping things up. I wanted to do one last climb before we left and didn’t know if I would be able to because of the time and, mostly, because of my exhausted muscles. At that moment the Finali climb was free and a last invitation to climb was given. No one else wanted to climb, so I said that I would like to.
I soon started up the cliff and found it slightly difficult in the low sections, but as I passed those spots I started enjoying myself and rebuilt my confidence in trusting the Lord to guide me to my goal and limit. I made it to the top and felt slightly “redeemed”, but it was a much easier climb than the Showpiece, which was rated as a 5.8-5.9 climb.
I learned so much about myself in these two days. The challenges were stretching and exhilarating and I would do them all over again whenever the opportunity arose.
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