Climbing Taipei 101
Growing Daily
Climbing Taipei 101
Alex Honnold’s Netflix special created a serious buzz this past weekend. You know, the one where the guy scaled a 1,700-foot skyscraper with no ropes!
It’s hard to imagine anyone willingly taking on such a challenge. I get nervous just hanging Christmas lights on the gutters.
If you’ve read about Honnold or seen his vertigo-inducing film, Free Solo, you know that he isn’t just a reckless thrill-seeker. Rather, he’s deliberately built his life around what matters most to him: his love for climbing. It drives his whole existence, even if it costs him comfort, security, and possibly his life.
It’s easy to admire that kind of unreserved dedication from a distance. Although most of us wouldn’t want his lifestyle, Honnold’s focus and commitment highlight a truth about us: we rarely give ourselves that fully to anything. Jesus spoke to that tendency in Luke 14:33, and it still challenges us today: “You cannot become my disciple without giving up everything.”
Jesus isn’t asking us to abandon wisdom or responsibility. He’s calling us to examine what drives our lives and consider what we’re holding onto for security.
Following Christ isn’t reckless devotion. It’s surrendering fully to what matters most — to “love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).
- Ron Reid