A few weeks ago, while up at the Garden of the Gods, we saw this rock climber. We stared in awe as he worked his way up, a small step at a time. For the time we watched, he was carefully planning each move, talking with his partner on the ground and clipping his carabiner into the eye bolts in the rock (yes, I had to look up that last part-it basically means he secured his climbing equipment to the rock for safety). If he lost his footing, the equipment should be able to help him not fall.

As I thought about this climber, it made me think of how this relates to our faith. Simon was named Peter, which means rock or stone in Greek. Even Jesus knew Peter would deny Him, he still chose Peter to be the “rock” for the early church. In the examples of the climber and Peter, we see a few important reminders in our own faith. 1-Take steps of faith, no matter how small. 2-You have fellow believers to help you on your journey. 3-Secure yourself frequently to the Rock (Jesus) in prayer and deed. We may lose our footing or focus, but we can repent and re-secure ourselves close to the Rock.

As a bystander, I couldn’t see what difficulties or challenges the climber had already dealt with or what past mistakes he made. As you interact with people this week, remember that everyone has difficulties that we can’t see and we all make mistakes. But, we can encourage one another to stay secured to the Rock!