Scum of the Earth
-
The following article has been excerpted from Called to the Wild by Christopher Lawrence.
We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world.
-1 Corinthians 4:13
Rock climbers in the early years of Yosemite National Park sparked a revolution—the rise of the dirtbag climber, a name for those who dedicate his or her entire existence to the pursuit of climbing.
Living at Camp 4, in tents or vans, they sustained themselves on cheap food—even canned cat food—and lots of climbing. They were raucous daredevils, living on the fringes of society.
“The idea of devoting yourself to climbing didn’t exist anywhere else,” says Yvon Chouinard, a climbing pioneer who later founded Black Diamond and Patagonia. “We were going to climb forever and that was that.”
Not surprisingly, most people viewed them as outcasts and vagrants. Yet out of these humble beginnings, climbing legends were made and a lifestyle was born.
A countercultural lifestyle often happens when people believe in something so strongly that they reject the established norms and choose to live differently than people around them.
The Bible is full of countercultural people, like the apostle Paul. As a messenger of the gospel, he became a tenacious church planter, supporting himself like a common laborer and becoming “the scum of the earth”—the vagrant of his day.
As followers of Christ, we, too, join this counterculture by living to please God and his standards, rather than the world’s.
Before following Jesus, Paul earned his stripes as a Pharisee, a religious and political elite in Israel. But he considered such pedigree “rubbish” compared to knowing Christ.
After becoming an apostle, an angry mob tried to kill him and authorities later imprisoned him. He joyfully endured it, through the power of Christ.
As believers, we, too, we should consider the gift of identifying with Christ in his suffering, joining the ranks of those, like Paul, who’ve gone before us.
Instead of being self-made, we ask God for help. Instead of seeking answers within ourselves, we read the Bible for direction. Instead of exacting revenge, we forgive.
Indeed, our lifestyles may appear strange to many.
At some point, following Jesus will make us unpopular. As Jesus said in John 15:21, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”
Not so with climbers. Eventually the status of dirtbag climber became fashionable, despite the outcast, thrill-seeker vibe.
Today, many people celebrate the climbing lifestyle as the best way to live life to the fullest. “I don’t have a death wish, I have a life wish,” said the late climber Alex Lowe.
Like climbers, followers of Christ relentlessly pursue abundant life, but through life with Christ. Christians can still enjoy pursuits like climbing, but Christ is the superior passion.
Today is a great day to join the uprising. Go against the grain and live for Christ in all you do.
Question:
Are there cultural norms that you need to reject in order to follow God wholeheartedly?
Prayer:
Please help me see how you give life more abundantly than any other pursuit. Retrain my heart and mind to live counterculturally so I can love and enjoy you more than everything else. Amen.
From one Adventurer to Another
Called to the Wild is a 40-day journey filled with thrilling adventure stories and poignant Biblical meditations, through which outdoor guide and Cru campus minister, Chris Lawrence, helps readers overcome fear and self-doubt by learning to follow Jesus as their trustworthy Guide through life’s every adventure.
