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April 29 -Join Pastor John for a Daily Devotional

April 29, 2020 by Rev. John Hartman

“Heart of Good”

David Breashears is an American mountaineer, filmmaker, author, and motivational speaker. In 1985, he reached the summit of Mount Everest a second time, becoming the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest more than once. He was on Mount Everest that fateful night of May 10, 1996, when eight climbers lost their lives on the south face of the mountain. On that night, hurricane force winds and sub-zero temperatures buffeted climbers. David Breashears filmed a man who was safe in his tent below the endangered climbers. In one hand the man held a radio on which he was talking to a friend of his who was dying up on the south face. In his other hand, he held another radio, on which he was talking to that man’s pregnant wife in Australia. Together, they were trying to decide what to name the baby that man would never see. One of the realities of that climb up Everest was that members of other climbing parties could have helped the people in trouble, and they chose not to. David Breashears, on the other hand, was one of the heroes. He sacrificed his climb and gave away his oxygen and supplies to save the lives of people on the trip. He was asked, “David, what do you owe another climber? What are the ethics of mountain climbing? If you come across another climber in trouble, what do you owe that person?” David Breshears responded, “Absolutely nothing. Because you imperil your own life when you help them, you owe them nothing. Anything you do comes out of the goodness of your own heart.”

The Bible says, “For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations” (Psalm 100:5). It is the goodness of God’s own heart that surrounds us as we go through these days of fear and uncertainty. I even read this week that there is something called, “Zoom Fatigue.” With all of this need for social distancing, video meetings are all the rage, but it has come at the price of physical strain and emotional exhaustion. The good news is that God’s love makes Everest seem like a tiny molehill, so that we don’t have to be afraid of the mountains or the uncertainty of when this will all be over. We always talk about how a person has a “heart of gold.” I would rather think of it as God having a “heart of good.” May the goodness of God’s heart sustain you and may his love surround you as He accompanies you on this mountainous climb every step of the way.