WHEN YOU RELAX — BEWARE
When you think you ‘have it
made.’ and relax, you may be in
trouble. Not that a person doesn’t
need periods of rest: both the body
and mind require this, but these
periods must be just that — a rest
— never a letdown. It is well
known that an athlete needs con-
tinual exercise to maintain muscle / | \
strength; the musician must con-
stantly practice to stay in form. It is a law of nature that we
either wear out or rust out. But rust comes from inactivity
and is nonproductive, hence the danger.
My wife and I were camped near the Grand Tetons in
Wyoming. These majestic mountains, many of which reach
elevations higher than 10,000 feet above sea level, form a
rugged backdrop for this land of lakes and rivers. But amidst
this display of grandeur tragedy struck without warning on
that day in June.
Two boys in their late teens climbed the Grand Teton
(13,766 feet above sea level) which closely resembles the
Matterhorn in Switzerland. They reached the top without
incident and decided to take photographs to record their
feat. The photographer couldn't get all of his partner in the
view finder of the camera and asked him to step back a bit.
That step was over 600 feet!
The almost sheer sides of the cliff presented a real chal-
lenge, but it was when they finally succeeded that they
encountered their greatest danger.
This principle is found in the following quotation:
The season of inactivity that succeeds a great strug-