I can’t believe it’s already been a year (and this is my first time to blog...this is Chris by the way)! One year ago, on February 13th, my family and I left Colorado Springs to head back to Cambodia. I love to fly over Colorado because I get a chance to spot mountains that I have climbed or mountains that I want to climb in the future. So it was no surprise that I was looking out the window as soon as we left the ground
I have so many great memories in the Sangre’s…but I have one story in particular that I would like to share with you now. In October of ’96 (or ’97) I went on a climbing trip with some friends and family (my Dad went with us on this trip) to climb the Crestone Needle. Our goal was to climb the Ellingwood Arete…but what we got surprised us all.
I will not embellish the story here but if you want all the details (from my point-of-view) ask me to tell the story in full sometime.
A good friend of mine, Kin White, and I started out to climb the Crestone Needle while our friends started off for another climb in the next valley (f.y.i. – Kit Carson, The Prow), and my Dad was watching us climb from camp with binoculars. We had a slow start and continued at a fairly slow pace throughout the day. When we reached the two hardest sections of the route we had already lost a lot of daylight…we realized this and were doing our best to pick up the pace. However, on one of the difficult sections Kin took a lead fall and twisted his ankle in the fall. We were faced with a decision: keep going up (we were not too far from the top), or start going down (and hopefully getting down before dark). After much discussion we started back down the mountain.
This proved quite difficult in that most of the sections we were repelling down did not have adequate ledges for re-setting a double-rope repel. Nevertheless, we managed to loose quite a bit of altitude before nightfall, and found a good ledge to sleep on…so we cuddled up for the night. Unfortunately, we had failed to bring adequate gear and clothing for a night on a cold mountain (in fact we only had one emergency rain poncho and a snickers bar…and our climbing gear…what was I thinking!). We anchored ourselves to the Crestone Needle and tied our knots in a way that we would not easily undo them in the event that one of us lost our mind during the night (Hypothermia has many symptoms…loosing your ability to reason is one of them). It was a long, cold night!
At one point during the night I clearly remember looking at the beautiful stars and talking with Jesus (I did a lot of that that night). I said something that most of us have said at some point in our lives…I said, “Jesus I’m helpless here, and I’m freezing…I need you! If you will just get me through this night…I’m yours…and I’m not just messin’ around…I’m serious.” I would like to think of this more as a commitment to Jesus and not an ultimatum (sometimes I wonder about my view of God from that mountain top). Regardless, I was helpless and in desperate need, and sometimes that’s how we have to feel before we look for help.
Kin and I woke up the next morning (if we really ever slept) and started down that mountain with nothing more than sore muscles from shivering all night (Kin had a pretty sore ankle too). I give full credit to God for protecting us from the cold and keeping us alive. Getting stranded at 13,000 feet on the north face of a mountain in mid October with snow already on the ground, and no real protection for a cold night is not the best way to find Jesus, nor to make a dangling commitment to him…but it sure got my attention…and continues to get my attention.
I remembered all of this…as I was flying over that same mountain one year ago…I remembered just as I am remembering today. And now, one year later I’m renewing that commitment. I am just as helpless as ever and in need of mercy, wisdom, direction, peace, and a love that knows no limits.
So here it goes.
“I still need you Jesus…after all these years. I’m so cold; I’m so far away; I’m so desperately in need of you. I’m yours…and I’m not just messin’ around…I’m serious. How can I be a dad without you? How can I be a husband without you? How can I help the poor and hurting without you? How can I be merciful without you? How can I see injustice all around me and continue to stand firm without you? How can I love all of these people in my life without you? No ultimatums this time, just one statement that I make to you in front of all the people that may read this: Jesus…I’m Yours!”
2 comments:
So good! Thanks for sharing.... reminding us of our desperate need for Jesus.
Good word my friend. I am encouraged that God can and does use helpless confused folks like us. I mean if he can use racist self centered pridefule and disobedient people like Jonah, then he is probably willing to use us too.
On a different note, I look forward to the day when we can spend some time in the mountains together. Not necessarily in that type of situation, but in the mountains none the less.
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