Climbing To The Top

CLIMBING TO THE TOP of Mt. Everest—the world’s highest mountain—is one of the most difficult challenges on the planet. Not only is oxygen hard to come by, but high winds, flash storms, and falling ice often claim the life of climbers trying to make it to the 29,035-foot summit.

But in 2000, Slovenian mountaineer Davo Karnicar not only climbed to the peak of Mt. Everest, but once he got there he strapped on a pair of skis and carved his way down to base camp at 17,550 feet. While it took him days to climb to the summit with partner Franc Oderlap and Sherpas Ang Dorjee and Passang Tenzing, Karnicar skied the more than two vertical miles in just five hours.

Karnicar started his historic ascent at 10:30 p.m. With a beautiful full moon and clear skies, Karnicar and Oderlap made an uneventful climb to the summit. Views from the top were spectacular, but temperatures were freezing . . . as always. After taking photographs, preparing his equipment, and warming up, Karnicar snapped on his skis and started down. Treacherous conditions and the threat of avalanches kept Karnicar on his toes. But the experienced skier stayed focused and made it safely to an exuberant group at base camp.

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POINT For years Davo Karnicar had dreamed of skiing down the world’s tallest mountain. When a snowstorm halted his efforts in 1996, he regrouped, replanned, and climbed for the stars four years later. His 2000 ascent went perfectly as he skied into the record books—a shining example of what perseverance can accomplish.

God wants his followers to shine as examples to the world too. The prophet Daniel wrote that when we teach others how to live according to God’s commands, we will shine like stars. Mt. Everest certainly towers in the sky, but the stars greatly surpass it by shining millions of miles away for all to see.

GOAL! Imagine what it was like for Davo Karnicar to accomplish his dream. You can commit to God to make it one of your dreams to teach others about him. You can do it every day with your words and actions. God wants to help you shine for him.