Who’s Your Sherpa?

Have you ever heard of a sherpa?

To be honest, this term was pretty new to me until last summer, but it’s one I have become more fascinated with each day.

The Sherpa are a people group who live near Mt. Everest. They serve as guides for the people courageous enough to attempt to summit Mt. Everest. The Sherpa have an incredible advantage in that they are born in the high altitudes, and their bodies are acclimated to the low oxygen levels on the mountain. They are also completely committed to the climbers. They are responsible for looking out for these courageous individuals who have committed tremendous time and money to this adventure. The Sherpa go before, set the way, watch over the climbers, ensure the weather is safe. They have so many responsibilities!

But what is their greatest joy? To see their climbers reach the summit–and return to basecamp safely!

But what about the climbers who go with them? Do you know how expensive it is to climb Mt. Everest–or at least attempt it? These climbers pay over $100,000  to attempt to summit the mountain. They commit their entire lives to the cause, spending years and untold amount of time training. They leave their families behind and put their lives into the hands of complete strangers. They know an unsuccessful climb could result in losing life or limbs.

You might wonder why anyone would take such incredible risks. To be honest, I could never take that risk. I am risk adverse and simply don’t have that innate desire to be adventurous. But, these climbers desire to tackle tasks others could only dream of. I don’t fully understand the desire or what would push them to risk everything, but I respect them for following their dreams.

What I do know is that we as Christians could learn a lot from these climbers and the sherpa who guide them.

Our desire should be to continually climb higher. Are you satisfied with your Christian life? I know I am not. I desperately want to be closer to God. I want to be more like Him in every area of my life. I long to see Him perform miracles. I long to see Him transform my life and the lives of those around me. I want to have a deeper hunger for His Word. I want to see His hand guide my every step. I want Him to live in me and through me.

When we become satisfied with where we are, we become stagnant. This life is all about continually growing closer, going deeper. Just like a climber, our goal should be to keep going until we reach the summit of the Christian life–hearing our Savior say, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

Living the Christian life requires extreme commitment. Climbers are incredibly committed to the cause. They commit to eating right, working out, acclimating to the extreme temperatures and low oxygen. Without commitment, they won’t even make it to ground camp let alone reach the summit.

What about us? How committed are we? Are we committed to church, to a community of believers? Are we committed to praying without ceasing? Are we committed to daily time in the word of God? So often, we become accidental Christians instead of intentional. We hope that we somehow get to know God when all we are doing is going through the motions. That mentality will never get us where we want to be in the Kingdom.

Living the Christian life can be costly. Do you know what it costs to climb Mt. Everest? Easily $100,000 or more. Climbers who set out to summit the mountain put their finances on the line. They are willing to spend whatever it takes to reach their goal.

What are we willing to sacrifice for the Christian life? Friends? Finances? Ego? I know here in America we are often so accustomed to a life of ease that we forget God commands us to take up our cross daily and follow Him. What cross are you bearing today?

We should enlist a Sherpa for the journey (and aspire to become a Sherpa). The Sherpa is much more capable than we are. Do you have someone in your life who has chosen to come alongside you and serve as your guide? Do you have someone who has reached the next stage that you regularly spend time with?

Mentorship is huge in the Christian life! Think about how Paul came alongside young Timothy and discipled him. Not only should we have someone further along to be our guide, but we should find someone we can also disciple.

Reaching the summit brings meaning to life.  Can you imagine the feeling of reaching the summit of Mt. Everest? Can you imagine how incredible it must be to be among the few who have actually accomplished such a feat? How much more meaningful is it to climb with Jesus in a long obedience in the same direction? There’s nothing in this life that compares to knowing God and making Him known. It should be our greatest joy!