Wrote this a few years back. It’s a good reminder.
Last week I had the opportunity to go zip lining. My daughter and son in law took our grandchildren. I decided to take pictures and observe from the ground. We knew that Jayde would love it, she rarely shows any fear and is quite the adventurous one. We were concerned that Landon would be more hesitant. Landon will watch something, thinks about the process and then decides if he will do it. He did great and even helped Jayde with her locks.
As the kids were putting on the gear and going through orientation, they were told what to yell if they were to stop in mid air. Yelling “Staff” would bring someone to your rescue. The first step was the practice course, this was step one, learning how to use the safety clips and tweezel. The safety of your equipment is vital and allows you to continue the course without fear. The kids knew the equipment they were wearing wasn’t going to allow them to fall.
At one point Jayde was stopped, suspended twenty five feet off the ground. She yelled “Staff,” they arrived to her rescue pulling her to the wooden platform. Jayde’s hand pulled the rope twisting it which caused her to stop. How many times have we been in situations where God has said, here is your course, go and do what I’ve called you to do. Things begin to go great in the beginning then we do something that stops the progress of where he wanted us to go? Fear grips us and we want to turn back, we try to reach the rope with our hands and rescue our self. When all we needed to do was yell out the name of Jesus, who is our rescuer. He will guide and direct us back into His loving arms.
I am reminded of one little girl who was frozen in fear, as she stood in the middle of the practice course. She was crying and kept saying she was afraid and didn’t want to keep going. One parent was on the ground trying to comfort and encourage her to keep moving forward. The other parent waiting on the platform urging her that she only had a few more steps to go and to see how far she had already come. The fear gripped her so severely, she gave up on the journey. She didn’t trust the equipment. She thought she was going to fall no matter how many times they said she was safe. She failed to call out the person who would come to her rescue. Eventually her continuous bouts of crying were heard and a staff member came over to talk and persuade her to finish. He eventually had to get a ladder to rescue her.
We can be faced with paths that are really tough, and some that are easy to go through. Don’t let fear grip you to the point of giving up on the calling and keep you from finishing the course. Remember you are not alone and if God is directing your path, has he not giving you the equipment needed to succeed and overcome? Maybe you feel abandoned, and alone on your journey? Don’t forget that God will always be with you and he hears your cries and will be there to rescue you and place your feet on a firm foundation. The next course is ahead of you, keep going. Look how far you have come, what lies ahead is an adventure. You will become stronger with each step, and so will your faith. Your testimony will help others who may be on the same path that you were on. Surround yourself with people who will encourage you and Don‘ t allow fear to keep you from God’s destiny.