Lessons From The Zipline
I was so excited for the opportunity to zipline for the first time. I quickly signed up and couldn’t wait to try it. When the time came, I geared up- bottom harness, top harness, helmet and gloves. I was ready. I climbed up about 6 flights of stairs before stepping out onto the platform.
WOW! That’s a long way across…that’s also a long way down! I’m not sure I’m ready. A couple friends and I were experiencing this together. We were all starting to seriously question our decision to do this. One friend fell to her knees. The other friend started screaming and laughing at the same time. And I started quoting Scripture out loud. Why in the world had I been excited about attaching myself to a giant clip and sliding across a cable this high in the air? How could I think that would possibly be fun?
Our guide rechecked our harnesses and clips, explaining that she would count back from 3, and we could either jump off, step off or just lean forward. 3…2…1! I am so not ready! I had no idea I would be so terrified.
I took a deep breath, and without even realizing it, I closed my eyes, held as tightly as I could to the straps that clipped to the cable above me, and jumped. When I opened my eyes, I was gliding through the air, clinging desperately to those straps, quickly realizing that I was never going to be able to hold myself up the whole way across. I panicked as my grip loosened. Then I felt the lower harness beneath me. I relaxed as I settled into the strength that was designed to bring me safely across, allowing me to enjoy the rush and intensity of the experience.
As I neared the other end of the zipline, my nerves took over again, knowing I needed to grab the rope that would allow the guide to pull me to the platform. I reached out with one hand and felt great relief to have successfully held onto the rope. When my feet hit the wooden platform on the other side, my heart was pounding. My arms were shaking, and my legs were trembling as I attempted to walk back down the stairs.
But I did it! And I might even want to do it again!
Aren’t our lives with Jesus often like this? When we first sign up for this great adventure of following Christ, we are pumped up! We are on fire! We are willing to do anything and go anywhere God calls us. Then we discover the reality of what the adventure requires and we’re not so sure. Some of us are completely paralyzed by fear. We cannot move. Some of us fall to our knees- in prayer, or simply out of weakness. We know we are not up to the challenge. Sometimes we scream and/or laugh, not quite sure what to do. We are thrilled and terrified both at the same time. Sometimes what we have memorized comes to mind, and we hope like we have never hoped before that what we have learned about God is really true. Is God really with me always? Will He really protect me? Does He really go before me and beside me? Can I really trust Him? Whether we choose to jump, step, lean or ask for a push from our Guide (like one of my friends did), we get moving. But how often don’t we find ourselves clinging for dear life, feeling that it’s up to us in our strength alone to get us all the way across? No guarantees that completing the task will be easy- even when I grabbed the end rope, there was still a significant jolt. And even if we miss the end rope, as one of my friends did, we are not left alone struggling to finish. He provides help, encouragement and strength (and sometimes an extra rope) to bring us where He wants us to be. But we must learn to loosen our grip. It’s only then that we will discover the strength of the One who holds us, and we will be able to relax, settle in and fully enjoy the rush and intensity of the experience. And who knows? We may even want to do it again!
