Climbing up

Fam,
When I was a young man living down in Castle Valley, I had the opportunity to do some rock climbing with a good friend of mine. To me, it was all pretty new, but we were young and energetic and excited about trying out this new experience. Rock climbing has always been popular down in Moab and throughout Canyonlands generally. But in recent years, the sport seems to have taken on new interest and a fascination of its own. Bouldering, free climbing, rope soloing, even indoor climbing, and many other types of rock climbing are popular activities.

Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing competitions have objectives of completing the route in the quickest possible time or the farthest along an ever increasingly harder route.

However, you're safe because you're on belay. The belay anchor system is the crux of climbing. It allows falls with impunity - almost. The person running the rope does so to protect the climber. Belaying has brought Alan Czenkusch [leader of Whistepig Climbing School of Del Norte, Colorado] his best and worst moments in climbing. Czenkusch once fell from a high precipice, yanking out three mechanical supports and pulling his belayer off a ledge. He was stopped upside down 10 feet from the ground when his spread-eagled belayer arrested the fall with the strength of his outstretched arms. " Don saved my life," says Czenkusch. "How do you respond to a guy like that? Give him a used climbing rope for a Christmas present? No, you remember him. You always remember him."

To me, that reference has special significance when I consider our reliance on the Savior Jesus Christ for our welfare, safety, and utlimately our salvation. Because despite our best efforts in this life, we will fall. And often the consequences are severe in nature and recovery can be very difficult. But we are not alone. He has provided for us a way.

President Packer states "...there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. That is the promise of the Atonement of Christ. …

“… Do not give up if at first you fail. … Do not give up. That brilliant morning will come.”

Love is a necessary precursor to being able to forgive oneself. As we develop an overpowering love of and gratitude for Jesus for His willingness to forgive us, we earnestly desire to come unto Him—to study His life and teachings and act upon them so that we become more like Him. As we do that, our own capacity to love grows to the point that we can indeed love and forgive ourselves and others."

When we fall, with the Lord's help we can climb back up.

It starts with always remembering Him.

I love you, dad