Secrets to Climbing Mt. Everest - Notes

Background:

Before bed in prayer on Sept 29, 2012, I felt totally overwhelmed.  I knelt down to pray and I realized the song on the ipod shuffle was "Worth it all" by Rita Springer. Good song.

In prayer, a phrase came to mind.

"Secrets to climbing Mount Everest"

I googled that phrase and found a website about training to climb Mount Everest.  On the page, in addition to technical training, it had this paragraph that really stuck out to me. 

Psychological and Physiological Requirements

Perhaps one of the toughest things about climbing a mountain like Everest is keeping motivated for months. Plan to spend a lot of time in your tent, waiting for the opportunity to go higher on the mountain. Be aware that you probably will be socked in by strong weather for at least part of the time, weather that can intimidate you and weaken your reserve. You may have climbing mates who get sick, have to descend without you, or worse (heaven forbid) never come back home. At some point you will likely get sick yourself, yet still have to perform. You may be in top physical condition but get struck with something you never expected. Mental fortitude, an ability to roll with whatever comes along, and above all a strong desire to succeed are all vital to your success on a mountain like Everest.

http://www.bodyresults.com/climbing-everest-training.asp

I wasn't sure why, but after reading that paragraph, my spirit felt peace.  I wrote down the phrase and the link to the website and went to bed.

But I knew there was much to unpack in that paragraph.
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I believe God is calling His people higher and He is putting them in situations that feel impossible. It's uncomfortable and difficult. It's hard. We aren't used to it or accustomed to it. But the place He is calling us - this company of people, corporately and individually -  to is a new level. A new level of faith. A new type of waiting on Him. // New levels bring new responsibilities and new challenges - but they will also bring new viewpoints and new, amazing experiences.

For a few days after, I felt like there was an urgency in "learning the secrets to climbing Mount Everest." I felt like God wanted me to take the paragraph I had found and dissect it sentence by sentence.

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Info on Everest:

Mount Everest is the earth's highest mountain. Approximately 29,029 feet above sea level.
Interesting:  "The highest mountain on the Earth attracts many well-experienced mountaineers as well as capable climbers willing to hire professional guides. While not posing substantial technical climbing challenges on the standard route, Everest presents dangers such as altitude sickness, weather and wind."

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I'd like to take the paragraph God showed me and share what God shared with me.  I'm not a mountain or rock climber in the natural, and if anyone is, give me grace in sharing this... I'm going to do the best I can in sharing what I feel are lessons or secrets that God showed me. Lessons and secrets in climbing impossible or hard circumstances that God calls us to in our spiritual walk and life.

Psychological and Physiological Requirements
Perhaps one of the toughest things about climbing a mountain like Everest is keeping motivated for months. Plan to spend a lot of time in your tent, waiting for the opportunity to go higher on the mountain. Be aware that you probably will be socked in by strong weather for at least part of the time, weather that can intimidate you and weaken your reserve. You may have climbing mates who get sick, have to descend without you, or worse (heaven forbid) never come back home. At some point you will likely get sick yourself, yet still have to perform. You may be in top physical condition but get struck with something you never expected. Mental fortitude, an ability to roll with whatever comes along, and above all a strong desire to succeed are all vital to your success on a mountain like Everest.

1.  Long-term Motivation/Endurance

"Perhaps one of the toughest things about climbing a mountain like Everest is keeping motivated for months."

·      There are many in the Bible who had to walk out long-term endurance.  Noah possibly had to endure a century of doing the laughable while working on the impossibility of an ark and waiting for the flood. Abraham continued in faith for a lifetime without being able to see the full measure of the promise fulfilled.  Joseph spent years in slavery and jail before the Lord promoted him. Hebrews 11 is filled with those who persevered.

·      John the Baptist spent decades of preparation in the wilderness for at the most, a few years of ministry. This Christian life we are called to is a long-distance run - not a sprint. Endurance, perseverance, determination, and setting your face like flint to continue through the decades is essential to Christian walk  -- and essential to climbing a mountain of impossibility.

·      Hebrews 10:36-38 "For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: 'For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.'"

·      Endurance: hupomone (hoop-om-on-ay') - constancy, perseverance, continuance, bearing up, steadfastness, holding out, patient endurance. The word combines hupo "under" and mone "to remain." It describes the capacity to continue to bear up under difficult circumstances, not with a passive complacency, but with a hopeful fortitude that actively resists weariness and defeat.

·      Jim Eliot in his journal compared his heart to being like a geyser more than a river and asked the Lord to give him constancy.  I know I can relate to that!

·      Look to Jesus!! He is what we look to for long-term motivation and endurance!

·      Hbr 12:1-2 NKJV - Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares [us], and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of [our] faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

2. Patience / Waiting on the Lord

"Plan to spend a lot of time in your tent, waiting for the opportunity to go higher on the mountain."

·      Wow.  What a sentence to unpack.  Moses and Joshua come to mind! Guys who spend time in a tent.

·      You can choose what kind of tent you wait in. 

·      God's tent or the tent of Korah -- Prayerful, patient waiting, or rebellion, jealousy, and complaining

·      Tent of Korah - Numbers 16

·      Korah was angry and jealous at the leadership that God had set up and wanted to do the stuff they did.  He had issue waiting and demonstrated rebellion and lack of trust in God's leadership.

·      Exodus 33:7-11 discusses Moses and Joshua in the tabernacle of meeting - spending a lot of time in the tent!

·      This part has to do with patience and waiting on the Lord. We have got to wait for the opportunities of the Lord and not try to force our own summit.  The best place to wait on the Lord is in the place of prayer - in His presence. 

·      Psalm 37:7-8 "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath - Do not fret - it only causes harm. "

·      Lamentations 3:25-26 "The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD."

·      Wait: qavah (kah-vah) - To wait for, look for, expect, hope. This verb is found some 50 times. Qavah is the root of the noun tiqvah, "hope" or "expectancy." Qavah expresses the idea of "waiting hopefully" (Gen. 49:18; Job 30:26; Psalm 40:1; Isaiah 5:4; 25:9). In the present reference, even the overwhelming tragedies Jeremiah experienced, he had hope in God's salvation and was willing to wait for it.

·      Often times, we get frustrated with the requirement to "wait in the tent for an opportunity to go higher." We would rather be DOING something. What we need to understand though, is that the time in the tent could be the very thing that saves your life and allows you to reach the summit.  Failure to wait on the right timing could be detrimental and life threatening. Failure to wait on God could be detrimental to your journey up the mountain God is calling you to.  Impatience, rebellion against God's leadership, and complaining could forfeit your journey. 

·      Often, after the period of waiting, the opportunity will come quickly.  (Habakkuk 2:3)
 

3. Determination / Patience & resolve in the face of circumstances

"Be aware that you probably will be socked in by strong weather for at least part of the time, weather that can intimidate you and weaken your reserve."

socked in (′säkt ′in)
(meteorology) In the early days of aviation, pertaining to weather at an airport when ceiling or visibility were of such low values that the airport was effectively closed to aircraft operations.

·      Being socked in by strong weather - I feel like we have already addressed this to a degree in the above section on waiting patiently. 

·      Intimidating weather brings an example to mind.

·      Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25 - (Boat in the storm with disciples and Jesus)

·      There are times that crises and circumstances can seem daunting.  It can intimidate us, make us feel endangered, and even make us feel like Jesus isn't paying attention.  But He knows what is going on.  He is with you. Trust Him. For real. Trust Him.

·      Sometime, those circumstances will even "weaken our reserve."

·      Ever feel like you're under siege or something? Like the few resources you have are getting drained because you can't move since the weather/circumstances are pounding down on you?  -- Guess what! God sees you.  Keep faith! If He cares about the lilies and the sparrows, He cares deeply about your well-being.  -- Also be okay in the waiting! Be patient! James 1:2-4

·      Know that these times WILL COME and be prepared for them.  Build a solid foundation that can stand weathering or waiting out the storms.

·      Matthew 7:24-27

4. Companionship - for better and worse

" You may have climbing mates who get sick, have to descend without you, or worse (heaven forbid) never come back home."

·      Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 "Two are better than one, Because they have good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, the will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

·      There is strength in numbers - having a good team. Great example is Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah AKA Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo.  They did not allow their hearts to be infiltrated by the Babylonian system. 

·      There were many other Jewish young men that Daniel knew who got sucked into the system.  How do we handle when our companions, the ones we know have to turn around? When they get ill? If they die on the mountain?

·      Reminds me of Misty Edwards dream - climbing up the slippery hill, running a race - passing by the earlier generation that didn't want the sorrow or pain and wasn't going to finish the race

·      Some who climb Mt. Everest have to step over dead who didn't make it. - reminder of the gravity of the situation. Nearly 200 people have died on the mountain.

·      There's an interesting back and forth in my head about this...

·      We have to be willing to go on even if we are the only one.  But we also need to be willing to help our brother or sister in their walk.

·      Reader's Digest story about team who left their team mate for dead - others passed by him - one team stopped, forsook their chance that time, and helped the guy - saved his life.
http://www.rd.com/true-stories/survival/hiker-left-for-dead-on-mount-everest/

·      There has to be a resolve but a sensitivity to the voice of the Lord on how to handle your teammates.

5. Self - awareness / inward heart focus / perseverance

"At some point you will likely get sick yourself, yet still have to perform. You may be in top physical condition but get struck with something you never expected."

·      When we are at levels we aren't used to, we can have responses we don't expect.

·      Sometimes in climbing to high altitudes, your brain can begin to lack oxygen and it can sometimes react with depression.  Likewise coming down from the summit can give a rush of oxygen causing a euphoric feeling or physcosis. For this reason, there have been people who have actually made it to the top of the mountain, but have died on the way down.  This is why climbers take oxygen for when they reach the "death zone" of low oxygen.

·      Our support oxygen in climbing our "Everest" is the Holy Spirit.  If we are not dependant on Him in the difficult climb up, we are much more likely to fall into depression of mind and spirit.  Despair and depression.

·      Likewise, if we are not in tune with the Holy Spirit on the descent from an impossible circumstance that proved to be possible with the Lord, we can become out of touch with reality and have false beliefs about what we are able to do on our own. Pride. 

·      We must stay dependant on the Holy Spirit and in constant fellowship with Him. And if you know how you respond in high altitudes in the mountain of difficulty - have a plan.  Know when to start the oxygen, and know how to recognize the signs so you can take action.

·      Along with these reasons to have support oxygen, it is important to know how much oxygen you require and keep awareness of how much you have while you climb.  Similarly, we need to know the status of our intimacy with God, and keep "filling our lamp with oil" like in Matthew 25.  We will be in grave danger if we push the limit and think we can do it on our own.  Will dry up and be greatly susceptible to the dangers of depression, pride, and more.

·      "At some point you will likely get sick yourself, yet still have to perform." - Can anyone relate? Sometimes, even on the trek to the top of the mountain, our own bodies, minds, emotions, spirits feel like they are battling.  And yet in that battling, we usually have to continue to trek.  This goes back to endurance and perseverance. Even in the midst of weariness of soul and body and spirit. This is another reason why dependency on the Holy Spirit is essential.

·      The line about being in top condition, but getting struck with the unexpected intrigued me. Job came to mind. Job was in top condition.  Yet he was struck with the unexpected in a form of loss, grief, and pain. But that was something he had to face to get to a new level. I think of Peter, who also was in top condition, and yet he was struck with the unexpected denial. John the Baptist was faced with unexpected imprisonment and yet continued believing in the man, Jesus. Paul was struck with the unexpected thorn in the flesh. But he resolved that Jesus' grace was sufficient.  Mary, was in top condition, but was thrown the unexpected pregnancy without being married. The question is "What will we do and what will our reaction be when faced with the unexpected on the mountain of difficulty?" Will we depend on the Lord or depend on our own strength?

6. Fortitude & a Strong Desire to Succeed

"Mental fortitude, an ability to roll with whatever comes along, and above all a strong desire to succeed are all vital to your success on a mountain like Everest."

for·ti·tude

noun /ˈfôrtəˌto͞od/  1.     Courage in pain or adversity

·      Fortitude - courage in pain or adversity.  Daniel. Job. Joshua. David. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Esther. Ruth. John the Baptist.  -- Jesus. If there was ever someone who showed courage in the midst of pain and adversity - WOW! Is Jesus an example or what?  "Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done" That takes courage.

·      We need fortitude in order to "roll with whatever comes along." Reminds me of James 1 - Count it all joy.  All of it.  Roll with it.  Have courage knowing that it all is for an end goal. 

·      Strong desire to succeed is also vital to success.  Your desire to succeed spiritually has to be greater than your desire for your flesh.

·      Kingdom of Heaven like a downward escalator - Are you running fast enough to go up? You have to want it! And you have to actively do something about it.

In addition to these 6 "secrets to climbing Everest," I noticed some warnings in my research.

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Warning:

-beware of the "Climb no matter what" mentality

"Just 10 more minutes"
Puts you in danger and your fellow team mates // oxygen - daylight - weather

·      Don't push the limits!

·      With oxygen, daylight, weather - know the limit and don't push it.  Play it safe.  "Oh I'll be fine... I should be able to make it."  - Don't gamble with your spiritual walk and whatever impossibility God has called you to. 

·      You need to be okay with waiting on the Lord. Waiting on his timing. If you need to stop and go back to the tent and pray - do it! If you need to wait out some crazy weather and wait for God's green light - do it! Don't try to go on only a little oxygen.  Make sure you and Holy Spirit are constantly fellowshipping.  If the Matthew 25 oil in your lamp is low, you won't be able to safely make it.

Don't be afraid to try multiple times
Usually those who reach the top of Everest have attempted it numerous times.

·      There are times when God says, "Okay. This is done. Close up shop. Go home."

·      Imagine how Abraham felt with Isaac when God asked him to sacrifice him.  "Are you kidding me? Do you know how much I've invested in him? Time? Resources? Emotions? I love this kid! And now you want to start over again?"

·      We need to be okay with beginning a summit when God says to go and to end a trek up the summit when God says so - whether we have reached the top or not. 

Both mentalities stem from the refusal to wait.