The Unforgiving Auto-Belay!

Earlier this week, for the first time ever, I went to the rock climbing gym without anyone else. Without a friend to belay me (i.e., hold and manage the ropes while I climbed), I had to strictly use the auto-belay devices the gym has in place. These are devices into which the climber hooks their harness, that then manage the rope as the climber scales the wall. At the end of the climb, he or she lets go of the wall and the auto-belay lowers them to the ground. 

The main difference between climbing with the auto-belay vs. having a person belay you is that the auto-belay is completely unforgiving. Let me explain. If one is climbing up the wall and gets a bit tired or slips off the wall, when there is a person managing the ropes below, the climber will most often hang there and can then begin their climb again from that particular spot on the wall. When using the auto-belay, should the climber let go of the wall for any reason, they will automatically be lowered to the ground, thereby having to start the climb all over again from the bottom. The auto-belay gives the climber no room to make a mistake or to need a quick break. The climber must keep on climbing—or at the very least, keep on holding onto the wall. Needless to say, I’d much rather climb with another person belaying me. 

As I reflect on my time climbing with the auto-belay, I’m reminded of how much we really do need one another if we are to make it up the walls of life. Oh, it’s true we can grunt through life on our own. And at times we just might make it up the wall on our own. But when we live that way, we quickly learn that one slip can very quickly put us back at the bottom. After all, life can be quite unforgiving. And with no one there to catch us, there is very little room for getting tired or messing up. 

It's no wonder the Bible instructs us to live our lives in relationship with “one another.” We are instructed to “be devoted to one another” (Romans 12:10), “live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16), “encourage one another” (2 Corinthians 13:11), “serve one another” (Galatians 5:13), and “love one another” (Romans 13:8).  We might say, we are called to belay one another as we climb the walls of life—helping each other move safely through life, giving each other times of rest, and helping one another through those times when we slip and begin to fall. 

I never want to become so self-confident and self-sufficient that I fail to realize my great need for the help of others. After all, I’m not that strong. More than that, I want to be the kind of person who is there to, I might say, belay through life the people God puts into my life—being a help and encouragement, giving safety, and bringing rest to each one as together we scale life’s walls. 

I trust the same would be true of you. In fact, maybe even today, you’ll find someone who needs you to hold their rope!

Have a great day! 

- Pastor Tim Harris