Our lives, like a mountain, need to be climbed.

This climb, though full of trial and adversity, is rewarded with great triumph as we reach key peaks and finally, the summit.

To attempt it alone however is a terribly poor choice; one misstep or fall can certainly end in tragedy without the hand of another to pull us to safety.

I can remember multiple moments in my life where I was barely hanging on. And while I can’t remember every detail of how I navigated those stretches, I can vividly remember the brothers who showed up for me.

Each outstretched hand acting as a source of core rescue in my life; never to be forgotten. 

One who came in the middle of the night to be with my boys so my wife and I could be with her father during his final hours.

Another who’s mere presence at our son’s funeral was the only one, in a crowd of hundreds, to bring me to tears.

And of course, for every hand grasped in rescue, there are equal hands raised in achievement.

My brothers standing by my side the day I married my best friend and love of my life; Who also both revelled with me at the sight of my sons the day each were born. 

Yet over the years, I have seen a destructive trend in all of us men. Without a clear reason to stay in arms reach of one other, staying connected and maintaining relationships seems to be a near impossible task; like there is a large gap growing between us.

The disconnect starts slowly, but quickly feels like an uncrossable chasm dividing us. For no reason at all, fellow climbers who once shared everything, suddenly having difficulty holding a basic conversation. 

If our lives are in deed like a mountain, we are often on our own side, facing avalanches, extreme climate and exhaustion… alone.

I’ve found in my own heart, it really comes down to a few main flaws within…

Pride; feeling I don’t need rescue

Stubborness; resisting my rescue

Selfishness; putting my climb above another’s rescue

The outcome is isolation and descent

Ashamedly, I can picture the faces of those I have personally let down when I turned away in their time of need.

And the truth is, if we are letting one another down, we are not lifting one another up.

Throughout His epic climb, Christ defied this chasm. Not proud, but humble; Not resistant, but vulnerable; Not selfish, but selfless; laying himself down so all who trust would rise with Him.

He led an expedition, pulling multiple back from the grave; but also receiving the helping hand of another to carry the cross to the complex crux of His crucifixion.

This final act of ascension providing salvation to all who would follow His path and turn from their own.

His ask in return is simply that we would be willing to go the distance and put it all on the line, like He did for us.

As 1 John 3:16 says ‘…Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brother‘ This is love

Simply put, a brother in need must be our priority; no matter the cost. Calling above is not enough, we must be a physical extension of His reach to those in desperate need.

This mountain called life can be overwhelming and scaling it will demand our all. But Christ went ahead of us and anchored the line so that we can confidently tether our lives to it.

At the summit, our salvation awaits in the form of the most important outstretched hand we could ever connect with; the one which will give us eternal relief, pulling us up and out of this place, never to return. 

Rescue then, is only a reach away.