by Ken Costa
When torrential rainfall hit the United Kingdom a few years ago, the swollen rivers should have had clear runs to the sea to prevent flooding. But the rivers had silted up and had not been dredged. When the rains came, the river channels could not contain the water. So, too, with us: if we want to hear clearly, we have to take steps to dredge the junk and distractions out of our lives—the sins that pile up and silt up—in order for the Spirit to flow freely.
5. SET BOUNDARIES
I am totally wired to this digital age, and I love it, yet I need to recognize where technology has an unhealthy hold on my life. We should consider applying Jesus’ views on fasting to our gadgets, perhaps by taking time out—for example on a Sunday or for an hour or two each day—from responding in any way. The difficulty of doing so, if you are a habitual user, tells its own story. Who holds whom becomes clear. A break from television, texting, e-mails, and the Internet for a fixed period is a way to break a habit and recover control of your life.
Jesus asks us to fast to help change our appetites. He needs to change our desires and attachments and reveal what it is that distracts us from his presence. So we stop allowing Facebook and Twitter to force-feed us and invite the Word of God to nourish us. Of course, I am not saying that we can do without these essentials of modern living (if for no other reason than many of us have our Bibles and notebooks on our smartphones!), but when we are distracted, we need the perspective brought by fasting.
When I left the bank where I was chairman and started a new project on my own, the greatest stress was that the telephone did not ring. I felt lost, watching it every few seconds and leaping to answer every call. I was also mortified if my friends did not respond immediately to my texts and calls. I then started switching the phone off for increasingly long periods to help break the dependence pattern. I had some success—not a lot—but my intentions were good!
A few years ago, I attended a lunch in the City where the speaker was Arianna Huffington. She explained her attempts to prevent burnout at the Huffington Post, which she part owns. She has insisted that all work e-mails are switched off when the person leaves work and should not be switched on until the next time they are on duty. In this way she reminds employees to have lives outside of work.
I try not to take my smartphone to bed with me. Somehow not having the device with me at the end of the day is a salutary cut-off point. But most important, it preserves the time with my wife. Mind you, I have failed to extend this seeming virtue to watching television in bed!
6. RESIST TEMPTATION
Having turned around in repentance, switched from transmit to receive, and listened for a word from God, we combat distraction by actively resisting temptation. Samson failed to do so, and he was drawn away from his calling. We, too, can be drawn toward fantasies and delusions; temptations are common, though not all lead to sin. But we need to regularly practice resisting through the power of the Spirit to ensure that temptation doesn’t dictate our lives.
Three distractions in particular may try to derail your calling: gold (lusting after money), girls/guys (lusting after sex), and glory (lusting after power). These temptations should be dealt with by fight and flight. Meditating on Jesus Christ and his crucifixion is helpful when we desire power at the expense of God’s own glory. The athlete who enjoys the glory of a great win is right to enjoy it, provided he realizes that what he has, he received from God. But when we fall into the trap of drawing power to ourselves and enjoying vainglorious reflections, then it’s time to confess and to start on a new path.
7. STAY CONNECTED
I remember the exact moment I realized the importance of staying connected in my relationship with Jesus if I was not to lose sight of his calling. I was sitting near the front in the O2 Arena in London listening to T. D. Jakes, one of the most skillful preachers of our time. He was telling the story of Abraham in a resonant, pounding voice, while mopping his brow with a large hanky. Simply put, he pointed out that if Abraham had been obedient to the voice of God to take Isaac to Mount Moriah and sacrifice him there, but had failed to listen to God’s continued voice, then Isaac would have been killed as God had originally asked. Quite an arresting thought when one considers the consequences of that act: no people of Israel, no Christian church.
But Abraham stayed connected and heard the Lord speak again, with instructions to untie Isaac. And then, in what appears to be a literal distraction, Abraham saw a ram caught in a bush. It was the perfect substitute for the sacrifice, and it appeared at exactly the right time. The ram would have wandered up the hill and become tangled in the thicket precisely when Abraham needed to know that God had not only spoken but provided an alternative. His son would not be sacrificed.
God doesn’t always give his instructions in full at the outset; if he did, we would be clamoring for the blueprint. Trying to live on yesterday’s manna can lead to scary consequences. The nature of God’s great provision to the people of Israel in the desert was that there was enough food for only one day—they had to trust that God would provide tomorrow’s manna when it was needed. God calls us to walk by faith, to wait for his voice, and not to be distracted. We cannot afford to lose connectivity.
Our relationship with Jesus is a dynamic one. He speaks often, revealing only in part, testing our obedience, and then disclosing his intentions step by step. We need to keep ourselves free from distraction, in a position to hear him, ready at all times to obey.
EIGHT
CALLED TO PERSEVERE
ON JANUARY 14, 2015, AFTER NEARLY THREE WEEKS OF exhausting and relentless climbing, Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell reached the top of the El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park. They made history as the first people to free climb the sheer Dawn Wall—climbing without aids, using ropes only to secure themselves when they inevitably and repeatedly fell. At three thousand feet high and composed of thirty-two sections—some of which are among the hardest climbs in the world all by themselves—the Dawn Wall had long been considered an impossible endeavor among the mountaineering community.
For nineteen days Jorgeson and Caldwell slept between climbing sessions in tents suspended hundreds of feet into the air. They repeated the same moves over and over as they tried to conquer the Dawn Wall’s different sections. Again and again they sliced their hands and fingers open on the razor-sharp rock, making advances of only a few inches. Scaling the imposing Dawn Wall had been Caldwell and Jorgeson’s goal for a long time, and they had spent eight years preparing for it.
Using social media to communicate, they continually updated their progress. The world watched and waited with bated breath as they conquered this colossal rock face.1
Part of the reason the story got so much attention, Jorgeson guessed, is that people can relate to elements of the journey. “It’s a big dream, it requires teamwork and determination and commitment,” said Jorgeson. “And those aren’t climbing-specific attributes. Those are common to everybody, whether you’re trying to write a book or climb a rock.”2
At one point, when he was suffering, Caldwell sent out a message saying: “Razor sharp holds ripped both the tape and the skin right off my fingers. As disappointing as this is, I’m learning new levels of patience, perseverance and desire. I’m not giving up. I will rest. I will try again. I will succeed.”3
The specific objective is irrelevant, he said, but both climbers hope that their experience might inspire others to ask themselves: “What’s my Dawn Wall?”4
FACING OUR MOUNTAINS
What is your Dawn Wall? Christians all seek the kingdom (Matthew 6:33)—and, as a result, we find ourselves on a journey of refinement. But within this macro-objective lie our own micro-objectives, given to us by God. We long to buy in to something larger than ourselves, a cause that transcends our own day-to-day endeavors and lifts up our eyes.
“Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” That is the prayer of David in Psalm 61:2. It’s a prayer of longing for something more, something bigger than the introspec
tive self.
What goal in your life is so important that it would inspire you to prepare for eight years? Do you have a passion to write a novel or set up your own business, or is it your goal to take on a sporting challenge or a fantastic expedition? What might God be calling you to that will take months, years, or even decades of perseverance to see come to fruition?
Each of us has a Dawn Wall. For some, it is an abiding passion from childhood that never leaves; for others, it develops as we grow or get to know ourselves better, and as God guides us. Some rock faces are more imposing than others, but all require, as Jorgeson said, “determination and commitment.” Let us look at how we may face our Dawn Walls with courage, faith, and most of all, perseverance. Whereas Jorgeson and Caldwell relied on tiny, slippery footholds in the rock, we can rely on a God who makes our feet “like the feet of a deer” and “causes [us] to stand on the heights” (Psalm 18:33).
1. LIFT UP YOUR EYES
I am dispirited by a generation whose heads are bowed downward. Wherever we go, whether walking in the street or sitting in a restaurant, waiting in line or walking in the park, we are staring down at our smartphones. We spend our time disengaged from the abundant life that surrounds us. Of course, I understand the vital importance of these devices that have transformed our lives. But what I see is a picture of introspection and self-containment. It is as if all sources of wisdom and revelation, as well as knowledge and social interaction, come from handheld devices. When I see this, a cry forms within me. It is that of Psalm 24: “Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in” (v. 7).
We need to look up. To rise higher. To aspire to the One who is above it all.
It is God who leads us upward, to that which is bigger and higher and beyond our own abilities. One of the great complaints of this age is that there is no real sense of a higher purpose—that we’re just muddling through life, staring at our hands. But there are mountains to conquer and mountains to destroy, if only we would look. Mountains of corruption, poverty, and trafficking, as well as the mountains of greed and depression. Then there are the mountains of achievement and adventure—the challenges that we, both as individuals and as communities, are called to confront. We just have to lift our eyes up and away from ourselves.
While those two climbers were at the rock face, all they could see was the small area in front of their noses. But during the time of preparation and dreaming, Jorgeson and Caldwell would have spent days and weeks sitting at the bottom of the wall, staring up and taking in the spectacle. They would have held that image in their minds’ eyes, even as they were confronted with the minutiae of tiny holds and fingers that had been sliced.
God called Zechariah to lead the people of Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, which lay in ruins. It was a call to get the people to look away from their own preoccupations and work together. The people were depressed and downcast; Zechariah was called to lift their hearts and show them God’s vision.
Zechariah knew that in this great task of rebuilding the temple there was one unchallengeable fact: “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty” (Zechariah 4:6). He needed to encourage the people to look up and to see that what seemed impossible was indeed possible only with God.
2. LOOK TOGETHER
Very rarely will we be called to climb mountains alone. Often our endeavors will be collective, as we play small parts in big visions. Perhaps as a church we buy in to a goal that we work at together: an initiative to alleviate extreme poverty, eradicate human trafficking, build homes in developing countries, set up a school, or bring the good news of Jesus to the neighbors on our street. These objectives may well be outside our comfort zones. Alpha, pioneered by my friend Nicky Gumbel, has been one of the buy ins of my life. I chair the board, which keeps me close to the nitty-gritty, but the overall vision is so much bigger than anything I could achieve on my own.
When we buy in to something greater than ourselves, we discover that the Spirit accompanies us through the highs and lows on the journey and that others are on the same journey. We are not on our own. We share in the aspirations and achievements of those who are pulling in the same direction. Jorgeson and Caldwell climbed the Dawn Wall together, but they also had an enormous support crew who made the whole thing possible, making sure they had food and a secure bed each night. The same was true for those Zechariah organized to rebuild the temple. Each worked in his particular place at the wall, but all worked collectively, and they saw a common vision taking shape.
3. SEARCH FOR DIFFERENT ROUTES
A good friend was staying with us on vacation one year. During the week, he needed to go to another part of Switzerland to visit some friends. We showed him a map of the area and the route to take around Lake Geneva. He thought there was no reason to follow our instructions and instead decided to travel as the crow flies, which he assumed would be the shorter route. However, the road soon dead-ended in front of the mighty Alps. He could not cross them. He discovered, several thousand years after Hannibal, that these obstacles required a retreat. And so he returned to our chalet dispirited by these mountains that do not give way merely because we wish to cross them.
I was once asked to advise a major European airline client, which was facing great challenges, on the future of the airline industry. A new dynamic chief executive had taken over at the airline, and I asked him what was the most difficult management issue he faced. It was the mind-sets of his colleagues—they would focus on a mountain but could not see a path through it. He saw it as his task to show them a wider vista. In a memorable conversation, he went on to say, “I have to persuade my management team that what they think is an impenetrable brick wall is in fact a wall made of papiermache. I have to teach them to break through and see that the ‘brick wall’ is actually no obstacle at all. If they manage that, there will be no restraint to their creativity.”
Obstacles can inspire creativity. God has given us the imagination to think out of the box. I think of the friends of the paralyzed man in chapter 2 of Mark’s gospel. They could have decided their Dawn Wall was too big: Jesus was surrounded by impenetrable crowds, their friend was far too heavy to carry, and even if they did manage to get through, Jesus might not heal him. There were lots of mountains to overcome and every good reason to give up on the whole idea. But they were persistent and innovative. They decided to cut a hole in the roof and lower their friend down (Mark 2:4). Those looking on would think they were mad! But they got what they wanted, and their friend was healed.
4. SPEAK TO THE MOUNTAINS
Living by the Spirit means nothing can stand in the way of the purposes of the Lord. As Zechariah said, “What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground” (Zechariah 4:7).
All mountains have one thing in common: they are big. They loom large and cast dark shadows: illness, opposition, stress, disappointment, bereavement, persecution, fear of the unknown. Mountains can stop us in our tracks. They can force us to rethink and replan. Their size drives us to feel insignificant and hopeless. But we need to know that God is bigger than they are. We are supported by someone mightier than the mountains we face. Our weaknesses are no obstacle to God’s power.
God is able to use the weakest person as long as he or she relies on his Spirit to perform at a higher level. This dependence is the cornerstone on which our lives are built. The recognition of our weaknesses is powerful, more powerful than any example of human strength. Such a paradox can only exist in the topsy-turvy world of Jesus Christ.
In 1978, the young coach of the St Mirren football club in Scotland was fired, as he was thought to be doing a bad job. But he would have none of it. He believed he had been dismissed unfairly and took the management to an industrial tribunal, asking to be reinstated as the club’s manager.
The presiding official at the tribunal hearing rejected his claim for reinstatement and described him as “petty,” “immature,” and “possess
ing, neither by experience or talent, any managerial ability at all.”5 He set out to prove them wrong. That man was Sir Alex Ferguson, the best football manager of his generation. Pity he had to show his talents through Manchester United. Imagine if it had been Chelsea!
Jesus told us directly to speak to the mountain: “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them” (Mark 11:23).
This is, of course, a figure of speech. But it is an important lesson nonetheless. We should “speak to the mountain”—speak the promises of God aloud when encountering overwhelming opposition. Words of faith will dissolve the mountains of attack, destruction, and despair and wash them away, as if a mountain suddenly slid into the sea. There is something unbelievably powerful in articulating and speaking out the words of God.
Many are the times over the last forty years when I have proclaimed loudly, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 ESV). And “all things” means everything necessary to fulfill God’s calling for my life.
5. DON’T QUIT TOO SOON
Most of us are in danger of quitting too soon. But it is worth saying that there are a few delusional people who press on regardless of all the facts that show their ventures are futile. You only need to watch The X Factor or The Voice to know that no amount of perseverance will earn some of the contestants the singing careers they are so hungry for! This is when we rely on those closest to us to be brutally honest and help us grow in self-awareness.