Reaching for Jesus…again.
August 7, 2004
I was browsing my archives and ran across this post from last November: Reaching for Jesus. It’s fun to read some stuff I’ve written even in the past year, and to see where I’ve come from on this blog, etc. I was reading this analogy I had, and I’m wondering what I was really thinking when I wrote this:
“If you put a group of people at the bottom of a rock climbing route, no matter how awesome the crack is, each person will take a slightly different route. Yet, they are all seeking after the same thing, to reach the top of the climb. And I began to wonder how this might pertain to the Christian journey. You have a group of people who are on this ‘journey’ but each of them is going to do it differently. So often, we think “Hey — THIS handhold, or THIS foothold worked for me, so it’s definitely going to work for you - reach there, up, to your right, come on!” And in reality, it may or may not work for that person — and they may find a handhold or foothold that works so much better for them. But what happens, is that I may be so offended, distraught or worried about them because they didn’t do it “my way,” that I forget to stop and realize that they are reaching for the same goal - they are seeking the same Jesus - they’re just doing it a different way. [Thoughts...?]
I wonder about the people at the bottom of the route. Did I mean them to be people from different denominations or traditions within Christianity…or was I thinking something broader than that…
Tags: Interfaith, Theology
Posted in Theology
Adam Walker Cleaveland: 
August 7th, 2004 at 11:31 pm
It works on all kinds of levels and I think you can leave it up to the faithful readers to find new, different and wonderful ways to apply the analogy. I’m no climber, but whenever I’ve helped out with the climbing wall at my church I’m always amazed how no two people climb the wall the same. And you *have* to be paying attention if you’re the belayer, so you do notice.
I think it’s an awesome metaphor for the Christian walk (climb?)
August 8th, 2004 at 12:04 am
I love the analogy. There are so many ways to climb. The most important thing is that we are climbing. I also like the analogy because in climbing you are completely reliant on another, and that is the ultimate life of a Jesus follower - living in dependent relationship on others.
August 8th, 2004 at 12:51 am
I remember reading that post the first time, and saw it as a really a significant train of thought…glad you reposted it.