The Rope

"O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man . . . to direct his steps." Jeremiah 10:23

We were at the foot of Mount Blanc in the village of Chamouni. A sad thing had happened the day before. A young physician had determined to reach the heights of Mt. Blanc. He accomplished the feat and the little village was illuminated in his honor; on the mountain-side a flag was floating that told of his victory.

After he had ascended, and descended as far as the hut, he wanted to be released form his guide; he wanted to be free form the rope, and insisted on going on alone.

The guide remonstrated with him, telling him it was not safe; but he was tired of the rope, and declared that he would be free. The guide was compelled to yield. The young man had gone only a short distance when his foot slipped on the ice and he could not stop himself from sliding down the icy steeps. The rope was gone, so the guide could not hold him nor pull him back. Out on the shelving ice lay the body of the young physician.

The bells had been run, the village had been illuminated in honor of his success; but alas, in a fatal moment he refused to be guided; he was tired of the rope.

Do you get tired of the rope? God's providences hold us, restrain us, and we get tired sometimes. We need a guide, and shall until the dangerous paths are over. Never get disengaged from your Guide. Let your prayer be, "Lead Thou me on," and sometime the bells of heaven will ring that you are safe at home! - C. H. Spurgeon

By Mrs. Charles E. Cowman taken from "Springs in the Valley"