“Just lean back; the harness will catch you. Stand up straight and walk down the side of the rock,” instructed Trumpy, our guide. “You will not fall. Trust me.” As I started to lower myself down the jagged rock, my stomach jumped up into my mouth. Instead of fear, this brought a smile to my face. I think this might just qualify me as an “adrenaline junkie?”
After my third time of absailing (the Afrikans term for ‘ropelling’) down the cliff, I asked Trumpy, “What is the fastest someone has absailed from the top of this rock to the bottom”? He didn’t know the exact time, but he said that the person with the fastest time ran down face first! This time a lump formed in my throat just thinking about the thrill that must produce! I peered over the ledge and tried to imagine myself literally running down the mountain. Um, maybe I’m not as much of an adrenaline junkie as I thought I was…My heart wanted to propel myself over the edge, but the control center in my brain screamed “no”!
We can always go a step further. It seems as though we will never escape the challenge of stepping out of a new “comfort zone”. I take a step of faith. Get settled in. And find myself standing in another “boat”. Only to have another “border bully” up in my face, telling me that I can’t go any further. Daily we have a choice to continue forward and to keep pushing back our boundaries.
Last night, I was so blessed to be able to listen to the benefit concert via skype and my sister’s cell phone. I savored every last word that squeaked it’s way from a church in Milford, IA to a kitchen in South Africa! As I enjoyed the music, I dipped peanut butter toast in my hot chocolate and watched my own personal slide show of pictures from back home and the race. You all challenge me to continue to push forward and take steps of faith. Thank you and God bless you. I want to throw that challenge back to each of you. From my experience, it’s the initial thrill that hooks you, but it’s the journey that keeps beckoning you into the “uncomfortable”.
Each one of us is created for this adventure! Our very existence is found in this journey with our Creator!
To read more inspirational stories of people who are seeking out this radical lifestyle, please check out the following websight http://www.wreckedfortheordinary.com. This e-zine has been up and running since January, and it is gaining momentum as more and more readers are exposed to the life changing stories. I am sure the stories will challenge you as they have definitely motivated me to continue “moving”.
