Everest: Scaling the obstacles to unity

Congratulations! You have begun the second third of this 30 day challenge. 

This chapter is worth the read if for nothing else than the Mother Teresa quote. “I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish he didn’t trust me so much.”

Mount Everest is 29,000 feet tall. To give you an idea of how tall that is, most commercial airlines fly between 25,000 and 30,000 feet.  If you are not in an airplane with a pressurized cabin, when you get to 26,250 there is not enough oxygen to sustain human life. Climbers left in this area die.

Kerry Shook talks about two climbers that had to stop in this death zone. Was was left by his team and the other was rescued by his team—at the expense of reaching the summit. This level of commitment and teamwork seems to be the exception these days. So many athletes and performers seek individual fame and recognition. Their paradigm seems to be, “it’s all about me.”

With only a month to live, we might adopt a similar mindset. Our self-centered nature might take over, but probably not. With so little time left on this earth, we might be more engaged in building or rebuilding bridges than in being self-absorbed.

Today’s make it count moment asks us to look at our most important relationships, and then give them a grade. List you three or four most important relationships with other people(more if needed). Certainly we are talking about husband and wife, father and son or daughter, brother and sister, and the like as far as blood and marriage relationships go. Don’t forget those special friendships that you have maintained over the years.

Rate each one with:

Never been closer

Getting along OK with some tension

On the rocks

Not going to make it.

You have been engaged in this challenge long enough to anticipate the next question. What is keeping your from moving towards where you want to be in each relationship?

 Continuing with the mountain analogies, we look at one possible obstacle in relationships. Shook calls this the mountain of misunderstanding. This seems to happened to most of us. Our relationships begin with common interests, a general understanding of each other, and what appears to be a pretty smooth trail.

Then it happens. Bam! You run across a big bolder in your path—one of misunderstanding. This could be anything from money, sex, time, habits, health, or personal ambitions—or changes in them. These are like the death zone. If you stop too long, you—or your relationship—can die.

In this day and age, the common solution is to dissolve the relationship. Marriages, partnerships, contracts, and other once long-term and sometimes sacred agreements are set aside at the expense of personal risk and pain.

We are all different and relationships involve learning about each other and getting through misunderstandings. While the Shooks don’t use the term, I will. We have become a nation of wimps. When we encounter the obstacle of misunderstanding, we are as likely to just pack up and go home as we are to give grow a half-hearted effort. It is the rare exception these days that pushes through to the summit despite misunderstandings. Would we walk away from an existing relationship if we had only a month to live just because of misunderstanding?

The second mountain that this chapter describes is the “me first” mountain range. That one doesn’t take much explanation. Most of us have grown up in or with these generations and the media that exploits them. With the clock counting down from 30 days, would we still be so self-centered?

The final mountain range that we examine today is the deadly one of mistakes. We are human and we mess up. Live long enough and it happens. Live truthfully, and we can admit it happens frequently. When we think we have 10, 20, or even 50 years left on this earth, it’s easy to fortify our defensive positions and hold on to whatever hurt has come our way. If we had only a month left, would we not immediately seek God’s supernatural healing that comes with forgiveness?

Today’s make it count moment asks, which of the three mountain ranges, misunderstanding, me first, or mistakes has derailed a key relationship in your life? What do you want to do about it?

If we struggle with any of these, take just a moment to remember that God chose to love us—sinful man—while we didn’t love him. Christ accepted us and we are to accept each other.

Here are today’s make it last for life challenges.

1.       Make a simple diagnosis and write down what each important relationship in your life needs to be healthier. These actions do not have to be complicated or protracted.

2.       Do you show or tell better? Most of us have a tendency to say “I love you” to the ones that we hold close either in those words or by our actions. Which is your tendency? Do the other today.

3.       Spend time in prayer today for each person you consider essential to your life. Ask God to reveal to you how to improve your relationship with these people.

Follow this link to today’s provocations.