Climbing Mount Everest

In John Eldredge's books, he often talks about climbing adventures. On pp. 216-217 of "Wild at Heart," Eldredge shares how God related climbing to the adventures in life:

In the past year or so I've made a number of decisions that make no sense unless there is a God and I am his friend. I left my corporate job and struck out on my own, following a dream I've long feared. I've picked up the shattered pieces of a vision I lost when my best friend and partner Brent was killed in a climbing accident. What feels most crazy of all, I've opened my self to friendship again and a new partner, and we're heading out where Brent and I left off. The battle has been intense; a steep ascent that's taking everything I've got. The stakes I'm playing at now are immense -- financially, sure, but more so spiritually, relationally. It's requiring a concentration of body, soul, and spirit I've never before endured.

What is perhaps the hardest part is the misunderstanding I live with from others on a daily basis. Sometimes the winds howl around me; other times I fear I'll fall. The other day I was feeling way out on the end of my rope, cutting a path across a sheer face of risk. Out of my heart rose a question. What are we doing, God?

We're climbing Everest.

Life indeed can be challenging, but we are bolstered when God is with us.

Finding God in the mountains

At one point in his life, author John Eldredge was trying to choose between going to graduate school

and accepting a high-paying job in Washington, D.C. On p. 202 of his book "Wild at Heart," Eldredge shares how God helped him to sort things out during a visit to the mountains:

Life makes more sense standing alone by a lake at high elevation with a fly rod in hand. The tentacles of the world and my false self seemed to give way as I climbed up into the Holy Cross Wilderness. On the second day God began to speak. John, you can take that job if you want to. It's not a sin. But it'll kill you and you know it. He was right; it has False Self written all over it. If you want to follow Me, he continued, I'm heading that way. I knew exactly what he meant -- 'that way' headed into wilderness, frontier. The following week three phone calls came in amazing succession. The first was from the Washington firm; I told them I was not their man, to call somebody else. As I hung up the phone my false self was screaming what are you doing?! The next day the phone rang again; it was my wife, telling me that the university had called wanting to know where my first tuition installment was. On the third day a call came from a longtime friend who had been praying for me and my decision. 'We think you ought to go to school,' he said. 'And we want to pay your way.'

Getting away from the busyness of life really can help us to slow down and contemplate decisions. I find the shores of Lake Superior particularly peaceful.

Becoming myself

God accepts us. He loves us. In the words of Stasi Eldredge, he "embraces us." By that, she means trusting God and "embracing the goodness of God's creative work in us."

Elredge recently shared in a letter from Ransomed Heart a touching experience with God:

About twenty years ago, I was at church and in a very low place. I felt hideously ugly. I was telling myself that I looked like Jabba the Hutt. (Not very nice words to say to oneself.) Kneeling in prayer, I asked God, 'How do you see me?' In my sanctified imagination, I immediately 'saw' a woman kneeling. The sun was filtering through the window and streaming a golden beam of light on her head. She was wearing a lovely fitted white satin dress. Her hair was softly yet ornately done up with seed pearls in it. She was beautiful, clearly held in the gaze of her God, and a Bride.

God saw Stasi as beautiful. And He sees all of us as beautiful. Read more of Stasi's work in her new book, "Becoming Myself: Embracing God's Dream of You."