Parable of the Cliff Hanger

[JimTheMM]

I have a story for you.

A man was hiking in the mountains, he was invigorated with the majestic views over the steep mountain cliffs. He felt like he was in the presence of God himself. He became fixated and mesmerized with a hiker in the distance. who was outfitted with the newest and best tech equipment, he was attired so smartly too, he even looked flashy as he hiked the steep mountain trail. As the man was daydreaming of  himself equipped like the…  he suddenly slipped on the trail and fell off the cliff.   Luckily on his way down, he managed to grab onto a branch sticking out of the rock face .  Dangling precariously, he shouted in distress, Help !  Is anyone up there?  I need Help !   .   A voice like the sound of great rushing waters, replied,    I am here to save.  Let go of thine anchor,  I will catch thee.  The man hesitated, as he  looked down in fear and saw only the terrifying drop below, after a few moments and with a crack in his voice, he shouted (meekly), "Is anyone else up there?"

That was  [The Parable of the Cliffhanger].

  It's a parable story about  how a person can feel so close to God,  but when he focuses on the things of the world,  He can find himself in precarious or stressful circumstances.  And of course when the person feels the unbearable pain of his choices or like  there is no way out, He turns to God for help.  God wants to help, and can often give us solutions to save us.  But sometimes all we can see is  fear or  we just don't have faith that his solution is the best way. So he looks to the world for help, or anywhere other than God for a way out.  

Ai Says "     Your parable, "The Parable of the Cliffhanger," carries a powerful message about faith, trust, and the choices we make in moments of crisis. It's a compelling metaphor for how we often seek worldly solutions instead of relying on divine guidance, even when help is offered."

JimTheMM

[zil2]

Welcome, @JimTheMM!

[pam]

I've heard this same story but told a bit differently. He shirt catches on a branch stuck out of the side of the cliff. He yells back up at God, "I got it, thanks anyway."  

[Carborendum]

On 5/25/2025 at 7:38 AM, pam said:

I've heard this same story but told a bit differently. He shirt catches on a branch stuck out of the side of the cliff. He yells back up at God, "I got it, thanks anyway."  

Emo Phillips?

[pam]

57 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

Emo Phillips?

???

[Carborendum]

5 minutes ago, pam said:

???

Emo Phillips is a comedian who told that story in the way you mentioned.  And he told it in the first person.

[pam]

7 hours ago, Carborendum said:

Emo Phillips is a comedian who told that story in the way you mentioned.  And he told it in the first person.

Never heard of him.

 

[MrShorty]

Wasn't Philips also the one who came up with the "Came across someone threatening to jump off a bridge. I asked if he was Christian and he said yes. I said that I was, too. Catholic or Protestant? Me too! (drill down through denomination hierarchy) East side of town or west side of town confession? East side. Then die, heretic as he pushes him off the bridge." joke? (Obviously I forgot all of the details of the denominations, but I think you get the idea). A joke that, IMO, almost perfectly describes the divided state of Christianity today.

[Vort]

Back in the 1980s, I used to play a coin-op video game in the BYU lounge called Cliff Hanger. It wasn't really a video game, but a game where you made decisions for the main character at crucial points via a joystick and buttons. I was never very good at it, but some others were, and if you found someone who knew how to win the game, it was fun to watch the resulting cartoon animation.

 

Edited June 6 by Vort