Sin and Tempation: Week 4, Day 3

Day 3: Stuck Between a Rock and A Hard Place

Aron Ralston was out on a hike in Southern Utah in 2003 for a much-needed day of vacation. He was hiking through a slot canyon, which is a very narrow canyon. He was moving over a part of the canyon at a point where there would have been a waterfall if there had been water.

He decided to move past a giant boulder wedged at the top of the canyon, so he tried to maneuver his body around it, but unfortunately, the boulder became dislodged. Aron found himself falling to the canyon floor with the boulder falling just above his head. He tried to move the rock away from him as he fell to the ground, but when he hit the ground, the rock came down and wedged his arm against the canyon wall. An 800-pound boulder crushed his arm, and he couldn’t get free. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Twenty-four hours later, after Aron fell, he concluded that he probably wouldn’t make it out of that Canyon alive, so he pulled out his video recorder and recorded the following message in hopes that whoever found his remains would get this video to his parents. That’s pretty sad.

For 5 ½ days, Aron tried to get out of his situation. He had a small dull pocket knife with him, so he decided to amputate his arm so that he could live. After several failed attempts and feeling unbelievable pain, finally, on day 5, Aaron decided to give it one more shot. He was now severely dehydrated, and as a result, he began to have a hallucination. His hallucination was that of a three-year-old boy who he saw walk up to him in the canyon with a truck in his hand. Aron imagined picking him up and holding him. At that moment, Aron realized this little boy represented his future son, and he knew the only way he would ever see his son was to get out of that canyon.

With new resolve, he began to cut his arm away again, and because the knife wasn’t strong enough to cut through the bones, Aron used the boulder that his arm was wedged by as leverage, and he finally snapped his arm free. Then he rigged anchors into the cliff, fixed a rope, and lowered himself sixty feet to the canyon floor. Aron then walked thirteen miles, bleeding heavily, before a helicopter search team finally spotted him. His life was saved.

The thing that gets me about this incredible story was this one man’s resolve to be free. He refused to be stuck, and he was willing to do whatever it took to be free.

Jesus said If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It would be better to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Jesus isn’t telling us to mutilate our bodies by gouging out our eyes or cutting off our hands, but He tells us to do whatever is necessary to get away from whatever has us under its power.

Bottom line: Extreme action is required when something threatens to destroy you. What is it for you? What have you pinned down? Is your computer a constant source of temptation for you? Your phone? There are filters available for both. Ask your parents or student pastor to help you find one, so you don’t keep going back to those garbage sites.

Is being alone with a certain person hurting your purity? Then decide to only be with that person when the family is at home or in a public place. Maybe for you, it’s gossip. Constantly talking about all your friends with all your other friends, and it’s a matter of time before they catch on? Or maybe it’s some other problem area for you?

When God convicts you, listen to His voice, and change your direction. Get help from someone else. Get rid of what you need to and grab hold of who you need to! Do what you need to do to break free.

Time Out:

Extreme action is required when something threatens to destroy you. Is there anything in your life that is threatening to destroy you?

What extreme action could you take against that force that is messing with you?

Look up 2 Timothy 2:22. What are we supposed to do, and what are we supposed to pursue.

What are we supposed to do?

What are we supposed to pursue?

The real key to overcoming bad habits that mess with you is to get so busy loving and serving God that you don’t have time to do the stupid stuff that hurts your life. How could you fill your time better to stay away from whatever is trying to mess with you?

One day you will be rewarded for fighting the good fight of your faith. According to 2 Timothy 47-8, what will God give to you as a reward? Crown of _________________

I look forward to the day when God says to me, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Live your life for that day!