DRAGON’S TOOTH

Psalm 18:31f
For who is God except the LORD? And who is a rock besides our God?--the God who girded me with strength, and made my way safe. He made my feet like the feet of a deer, and set me secure on the heights...You gave me a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip...The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation,

The hike up to Dragon’s Tooth, a large stone monolith in a line with many smaller ones, is a hike for partners. It is steep, narrow, and when wet, very slippery. Toward the top, the rocks are nearly vertical, and the narrow foot ledges intimidate anyone with even a little sense of vertigo.

This part of the Appalachian Mountains outside Roanoke, Virginia is a heavily hiked trail, enjoyed by coeds from the university and nearby colleges. It’s steep enough to make the heart pump, and it’s high enough to make worry sensible.

Joanna had never made it over the last set of rocks toward the top of the ridge. She had hesitantly tried, at times, but the generous advice and encouragement from fellow hikers fell on deaf ears. They couldn’t see the rock like she saw it---taller than the other rocks, narrower for the foothold, more foreboding, like a dare from a devil. No, she would rest there and wait, while the others went on ahead. She would enjoy herself alone.

The stumbling block was a road block.

So it came as some surprise when she agreed to hike Dragon’s Tooth again, after a couple of years avoidance. It came as a surprise to her two women companions, who knew her dread of that spot, and her failure on all other journeys.

The day was as pretty an April day as Virginia has to offer---bright, blue, dry, no leaves yet on the trees. The vistas were just that much more remarkable. The crisp morning air made hiking sensible. One needed the heat of exercise to avoid the chill of early spring
Up they went, first mile gradual and easy, second mile steep. The approach became precipitous, and everyone knew they were nearing Joanna’s rock. The three wondered, perhaps to themselves, “Will she make it this time...will I make it?” They had climbed over so many rocks that it seemed possible that they had already passed it without notice, but that hopeful thought was not long to hold. “The rock” was there, a bit further up the trail than they had remembered from a couple of years earlier, and it was ever so big.

Discussion of the rock seemed pointless. They had done that enough on previous occasions. This was a day to hike, so Mary Ann stepped to the side with her camera and said, “You lead, Joanna.”
“What if I don’t make it?” Joanna asked.
“Then I’ll give the picture to the life insurance company!”

But Joanna did it. With little hesitation she conquered the rock as though it had never been a problem.

Astonished Bev and Mary Ann followed Joanna to the top, her first view ever of the Catawba range from that glorious vantage point. It was a celebration to be remembered, and it happened quite naturally, as though yesteryear’s stumbling blocks ought be this years stepping stones.

There was the matter of coming down, of course, but the relinquishing of the lead was a well remembered lesson. After the well earned rest Joanna naturally led off, and down. From rock to rock she negotiated with confidence, waiting for “the rock” with the narrow ledge, and the steep face, and the “I dare you” countenance to appear.
It wasn’t long before Mary Ann called Joanna to a stop, and said, “You just did it, Joanna.” She turned back up toward the mountain in disbelief, studying the rock which had no more power over her.

The report of this accomplishment does not come from Joanna, though she would be proud to report it, but from her friends who knew her strength and had the good sense to let her lead.

It is hard to know who is most delighted among friends, when a stumbling block becomes a stepping stone.

1 Corinthians 10:1-4
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.