One of the youngest members of Captain Robert F. Scott’s scientific Terra Nova Expedition into Antarctica (1910-1912) was twenty-four-year-old Asbury Cherry-Gerrard. In his memoir, The Worst Journey in the World (1922), he shares the hellacious trials of endurance suffered by expedition members that resulted in the death of five men, including Scott: long days of utter darkness, temperature of -70°F, lack of food, countless hours pulling sleds for miles across lunar landscapes where an ice sheet collapse could send one hurtling deep to a black end, and blizzards with 100-mph winds.
Those are only a few of the hardships the crew endured regularly. Asbury speaks at length of frostbite, snow blindness, exhaustion, disorientation in the barren wilderness, clothes freezing solid within fifteen seconds of exiting his sleeping bag, and hunger.
Recalling one particularly brutal journey across the ice, Asbury states: I for one had come to that point of suffering at which I did not really care if only I could die without much pain. They talk of the heroism of the dying – they little know – it would be so easy to die, a dose of morphia, a friendly crevasse, and blissful sleep. The trouble is to go on.[1]
Our trying life storms can make death appear as the easy way out or the assured means of stopping the pain. Furthermore, the many often-expressed Christian encouragements to someone experiencing such miseries are little more than shallow platitudes, such as these:
"You can overcome all things through Christ who strengthens."
"God gives grace sufficient to overcome the trial."
"The Lord will never leave you nor forsake you."
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Great job Michael Paddock - seamlessly balancing your commitments between CHC and the army, and adding value to both from the unique experience leant from both. 👏🏻