If you know me well you know I hate heights. Sure I’m good if I’m safely enclosed behind glass at the Hancock or wrapped in a bubble on the London Eye, but 3 years ago I couldn’t even go on the walk out of the Sears Tower. Put me on a mountain or on a tall roof top and my palms get sweaty just watching people go near the edge. Raging Bull and and the Six Flags giant drop are out of the question for someone like me. I even hate when people in movies fall off buildings- it makes me cringe.
But this Saturday I took a plunge. Our ministry host set up an adventure day to the Orlando Towers. It’s pretty much a hot spot for adrenaline junkies. There’s bungee jumping, paint balling, four wheeling, rock climbing and – the world’s highest SCAD free fall.
They literally drop you from 21 stories and let you free fall into a net. I watched the videos of those braver than I fall over and over again, and I found myself counting how long it took. 1,2,3,4…. about 3-4 seconds of free falling until you hit the net.
To be honest it looked a lot less scary than the bungee jumping my two teammates did. But I still wasn’t sure. It took an hour of thinking about it, and a lot of sweaty palms as I imagined how much I would hate that feeling of falling as I have on so many roller coasters prior to this experience. It would probably be a wasted 25 dollars. I finally asked the Lord- should I do it?
He said: Don’t you know I’ll always catch you when you fall? Dive in and surrender.
I signed the paper and handed over my credit card before I could chicken out.
My team and I climbed up a ladder – which normally scares me to death. But I just kept thinking the Lord was with me and I could do this.
We walked into the tower, and they put a sort of harness around our bodies. I would go first.
One step at a time. Helmet on, straps on, climb over the big puffy divider… you got this the Lord’s gonna keep you safe.
3 of us climbed into the cage that would take us up to where we would be dropping. That’s when I started shaking, that’s when my palms got real sweaty as I clung to the metal cage. I looked straight ahead at my teammate. I refused to look down.
Deep breathing- praise God for yoga. I managed to actually calm my body down and remind myself it was only 4 seconds and then it would be over.
We reached our destination and then it was time to hook me up so I could be dropped. “Tuck your knees to your chest, no don’t let go yet. Just tuck your knees in and lean back.”
I couldn’t figure out how to do it. My body did not want to figure out how to do it. Finally I sat back and realized that the harness I had held my back in place. I was hanging in mid air hundreds of feet above ground.
I surrender, I surrender, I surrender. I just kept saying it to the Lord out loud over and over again between deep breaths. It felt like I was hanging there for forever- I kept waiting for him to just drop me, unexpectedly to feel my stomach in my mouth and for it to be all over.
I surrender.
Are you ready? Sure.
The drop felt how I imagined it would. That falling sensation that I hate rushed upon me and I could hear my scream echoing through the tower.
I paused to gasp for air. Realized I was still falling and started to scream again. And then I felt my body hit something even as I was still falling, the net below me caught me and I slowed down.
I began to laugh. All I could do was giggle and laugh. I had survived my fall.
Would I do it again? Probably not. But I don’t regret doing it either.
If you want to watch it for yourself here you go! Click Here!
