When we were a child, the world was full of every possibility we could imagine.  Nothing held us back except the fence around our backyard sandbox.  Yet fast forward a few years and our adult eyes see the world very differently.  Why is this?  The answer is far from simplistic, but I would make one simple observation.  Wounds.

 We’ve all been wounded.  The person who would disagree with me, is most likely so wounded they can’t even acknowledge it.  It’s impossible to not be wounded.  For our life is surrounded by humans who are going to miss the mark regularly.  Not only that, we were wounded by our first father Adam.  His sin, the Bible says, is now shared by every cute little baby that is born today.  So we we’re wounded from birth.  Wounded during childhood.  And wounded by the big bad world around us.  Why make this observation?

 Because it brings an awareness that should truly awaken us to the importance and gift of the Rope of Grace.  Not only do we need it to climb higher.  We need to give it to those around us.  Especially those closest to us.

 When someone close to me wounds me deeply, it hurts.  Yet when I first look up and remember how much I wound my Jesus, it reminds me of my need for grace.  Then when I look behind the person who has wounded me, I see a life that has been also filled with many wounds.  It’s guaranteed.  You don’t have to know them at all to know this fact.  Their parents wounded them.  Their spouse has wounded them.  Their co-worker.  Their children.  And if they are a part of a church family, they have definitely been wounded.

 This simple awareness can enable us to climb very differently through life.  Instead of taking everything that happens to us personally, we can begin to look more objectively at each wound.  And know that God’s Rope of Grace is not only something I desperately depend on today, it’s desperately needed by everyone around me.

 This doesn’t mean that we don’t draw boundaries and use wisdom when people wound us.  But it does mean that we can forgive them and keep climbing higher without being paralyzed by their wounding.  When we begin to model this in our marriage, our spouse will notice.  And so will our children.  Families climbing on the Rope of Grace know that wounds are inevitable.  They don’t spend their time trying to avoid pain or being in denial of it.  They meet the wound with grace and climb together in truth and love.

 Sounds easy right?  Actually, we’ll spend a lifetime learning how to do this well.  But there’s no time like today to begin.  So, “Got wounding?”  Yep, you do.  And so does everyone around you.  So don’t attempt to climb one step without His Rope.  And don’t try to do one relationship without extending that Rope to the other.  If you both try to climb very high without a rope, it’s only a matter of time before you encounter terrain that is guaranteed to be tougher than your strength can handle.

The way our world has answered this problem is simply, “Don’t do relationship.”  And it’s true.  If you are looking for a path with the least pain, I would definitely encourage you to accumulate possessions in your life, not people.  But God didn’t call us to climb in convenience.  He called us to climb courageously in his steps.  Steps that call us into relationship at every level.  First with Him.  Then with our spouse.  Then our children.  And so on.

Early on in my climb, relational climbing sounded kind of fun, even cool.  Now the phrase itself causes me to shiver with joy and terror in the same moment.  It would be safer to climb Mt. Everest without oxygen than to relationally climb in you family.  Second only to that is your church family.  And then your world.  So are you ready for some dangerous climbing?  I wouldn’t be either, if it weren’t for the Rope.