At the End of Your Rope?

Thursday, June 14th, 2018     by Debra DuPree Williams     Start the Conversation


By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams
Have you ever felt that you were at the end of your rope? I think most of us have. Sometimes life just throws so much at us that it’s hard to cope. We don’t know if the decisions we’ve made are the right ones, friends betray us, people say hurtful, cruel things to us or about us. The ones we thought would always be there either leave this world or they simply abandon us for one reason or another.

When I saw the man up in the tree in our back yard, I had to walk away. See, I’m deathly afraid of heights—Acrophobia. I have a case of that big time. I don’t do well on even a short step ladder. Forget the eight-foot one out in our garage. Nope. That little beauty is my husband’s domain.

We recently moved into our condo here in North Carolina. The actual move-in was at the end of January, but we weren’t really living here until the beginning of May. In January, there were no leaves on the trees outside our rear windows. We had a fairly unobstructed view of the golf course that lies beyond our boundary.

Trees

When we returned in May, things had changed dramatically. The bare limbs now waved green foliage of every shape, size, and color. So many shades of green. They are beautiful tulip poplar and oak trees. Some of God’s most majestic trees. In fact, the Joyce Kilmer Forest is located not too far from where we now live. It’s right in the middle of the Cradle of Forestry in North Carolina. https://cradleofforestry.com/ That particular forest has many, many tulip poplar or yellow poplar trees. They can grow to a height of one-hundred-ninety feet with an average height of seventy to one hundred feet. This thing can get so big that its trunk can be as large as ten feet in diameter. Now that is a large tree. And just a bit of trivia, the tulip poplar isn’t really a poplar tree, nor is it related to tulips. It is most closely related to the magnolia.

So, this morning a group of men, arborists, came to trim those trees. While they are quite lovely, they grow quickly and their limbs were touching our roof. Since our HOA is responsible for the maintenance of our roofs, they needed to trim the limbs away from ours. When I heard the noise around nine a.m., I went to see what it was. That’s when I saw the man, at least seventy feet up that tree, hanging by nothing more than a thin rope. I walked away, but dashed back to snap a quick photo or two.

Faith

Arborist in Triangle, Symbolic of The Trinity
Now, there’s no way on the face of this earth that I could do what this man does. Uh-uh, no way, no how. I’m thankful for people like him who can do the necessary work and take that burden off my shoulders. He puts his faith in that rope and harness that tether him to safety. If he stumbles and falls, he knows they will catch him. That’s trust. Faith.

Here’s the thing. When you have those days in which you feel overwhelmed by the tasks at hand, when things aren’t going according to plan, or those days you feel lost, abandoned, stuck, out on a limb, there is someone you can count on. His name is Jesus.

Jesus never promised us a life without troubles. In fact, he told us that we would, indeed, have troubles (John 16:33). But we are to take heart for He has overcome the world. Jesus, himself, bids us to come to him and learn from him. That is when we find the rest and the peace we are seeking.  (Matthew 11:28-30). Yes, you may still be stuck for a time, but you will not be out on that limb alone. Jesus will be right there with you, holding onto you, carrying the load for you. He will not leave you (Matthew 28:20).

He Will Catch You

Just as the arborist, high up in our trees, put his faith in his lifeline, should you find yourself at the end of your rope, you can put your faith and trust in God. He’s there with the best lifeline ever . . . one to which there is no end. He offers you all the things you may be longing for but can’t quite reach because you are so far out on that limb. Again, you are not alone, and should you fall, He will catch you in his arms, open wide with unconditional love, for that is the nature of God (I John 4:7-8).

Have you ever found yourself out on a limb and in need of a rope or a lifeline? How did you cope? Share your experience with us below.

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