Rescued Twice: 3 Lessons From Mount Fuji

Various news outlets report the remarkable yet sobering story of a 27-year-old Chinese student studying in Japan who was rescued from Mt. Fuji. Not once, but twice. And within the span of four days.

According to authorities, the student was airlifted from Mt. Fuji due to climbing difficulties. Following the rescue, he realized he had left behind some personal possessions, including his cell phone. So, he returned to retrieve his belongings.

At 3,000 meters, he reencountered problems and was spotted by another climber, who alerted the rescuers. The man was once again airlifted, taken to the same hospital, and treated for symptoms of altitude sickness.

Since Mt. Fuji is snow-covered for most of the year, it is only officially open to hikers between July and early September. Officials repeatedly warn of the dangers of hiking and the seriousness of expending resources for such rescue operations.

Three lessons come to mind when considering this true story.

#1 Learn from your past mistakes.

Returning to the same dangerous mountain after being rescued reveals a lack of judgment and a failure to learn from the first mistake.

Unfortunately, many people, including Christians, repeat the same mistakes/sins over and over again in their daily lives. Pride, overconfidence, or disregard for consequences may lead to repeating the same harmful habits, engaging in risky behavior, or disregarding a prior lapse in judgment.

The wise man expressed such conduct graphically, “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly” (Prov. 26:11).

#2 The problem of possessions.

The story offers an important detail regarding the young man’s return. He wanted to recover his cell phone and other possessions.

How often do we allow the inordinate grip of material things to cloud our judgment and risk our lives, or relationships, not to mention our souls?

Jesus plainly warned: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mk. 8:36).

Thus, His counsel is appropriate for our 21st-century materialistic culture: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Lk. 12:15).

#3 The Gift of a Second Chance.

Notably, few people are rescued twice from the same life-threatening danger, as this young man was.

However, spiritually, we all have experienced God’s grace and mercy again and again. God is patient, not willing that anyone should perish (2 Pet. 3:9). While we may not repeat some egregious error, we all do sin. In different ways and to various degrees, we all fall short of the mark. Thus, recuse is required. Grace given. Forgiveness provided. And another chance is offered.  As author Max Lucado once wrote, “Our Lord is the God of second chances, not because we deserve them, but because His mercy is greater than our mistakes.”

Because of God’s goodness, however, let’s not take His grace for granted and think we’ve been given carte blanche to repeat our errors. “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Paul rhetorically asks.  His blunt retort is “God forbid!” (Rom. 6:1-2).

Let’s make this young climber’s experience serve as a spiritual parable for every Christian. We’ve all been rescued from the mountain sin by Him who died on Mt. Calvary. Let’s not abuse or misuse that opportunity for a new life. Humility, gratitude, selflessness, and an appreciation for God’s love, grace, and mercy should be sufficient for us to make the second rescue count.

By the way, in mountain climbing, as well as in our spiritual journey, “The climb is always safer when you follow the Guide.”

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman