Nine Life Lessons from Rock Climbing

descending a cliff in West Virginia

Last week I had the privilege of having a good friend visit from Pennsylvania.  One of his interests is rock climbing so we went to an indoor climbing gym nearby and spent the day wearing out our forearms and tearing our fingers.  That evening while dwelling on the climbing we did, I remembered a talk I watched by pro climber Matthew Child.  He listed 9 lessons from rock climbing and I’d like to share his lessons with you and invite you to draw some spiritual application from it.  I have written an application from the first principle.  The rest I will leave to you and hope that you will see the implications of each lesson.

1.  Don’t let go. Even while climbing indoors I found myself wanting to let go long before my body needed to.  I have discovered the same principle to be true in my personal prayer and study.  My mind has such a difficult time attaching itself to thoughts of God long enough for it to really have an impact.

2.  Hesitation is bad. Once you make a move, you must follow through.  Otherwise, you burn out very quickly.

3.  Have a plan. If you don’t have a plan while climbing, then you find yourself in a tough spot really soon with no other option than to let go.

4.  Know how to rest. It took me a long time to learn how to rest my body against the wall face.  It is especially important to get your body into a position where you can shake out your arms and legs, regroup, refocus, and keep going.

5.  Fear is bad. The fear of falling can become greater than the desire to reach the top.  Once that fear sets in, it is very difficult to make progress.

6.  Strength doesn’t always equal success. I fooled myself when I saw women half my size climbing with ease and became convinced that If they could do it then I could do it.  Do not boast in your strength – it can deceive you.

7.  Know how to let go. Sometimes retreating is the best course to take.  Never, never, hang on until the bitter end.  A friend of mine nearly suffered a tough fall because he failed to heed this principle.