Ok 30,000ft is dramatic. Let’s take it down a notch…to about 364ft.
The guys strapped me in and rigged me up.They told me there was nothing to be afraid of and that every little thing was gonna be alright.They gave me the best pep talk I’ve ever heard and slowly began to nudge me forward.
I stood strapped in with my feet dangling over the edge of the platform wondering what had made me decide to leave this perfectly sturdy bridge to jump the 364ft into the unknown.The seconds it took to inch up to the edge felt like hours. I could feel my heart pulsing in sync with the sound of the thousands of gallons of water pouring over Victoria Falls behind me. I decided my YOLO motto had taken me this far, but it was not going to be enough this time to take me over the edge. However, the Nazis working the bungee that day were not about to let me back out…or even back up for that matter. They ignored my pleas for an extra minute to gather myself on the platform and they began their relentless countdown.
5…4…3…2…1…bungeeeee!
Terror. That is the only word that could even begin to describe what I felt. I have never been more scared in my entire life. If they had let me, I would have happily hung my head in shame and defeat and walked myself safely off of the bridge that day. Fear was definitely in position to trump pride. Thankfully, the Nazis are good at their jobs (and actually great people) so they were able to gingerly coax me to a place where trust and humility triumphed. Over the edge I went.
I jumped.I screamed.I flipped and flopped. I thought about crying. I screamed louder. I laughed at myself. I dangled. In awe, I fixated on the brilliant rainbow that encircled me. I screamed some more.
Finally, repelling down towards me like a spider suspended from a doorway, was my savior coming to carry me up to safety. All I could say was, “that was terrifying” and his every response was, “but you did it, and I’ve got you now, and you’re safe”. YOLO.
A lot of times in life we get stuck seeing things from ground level. We get so caught up in our circumstances that we can’t even see our hand in front of our face. We worry about which job to take, where to live, who to marry, and how we’ll pay for everything we don’t really need anyway. We spend our time and our energy trying to plan out our life, forgetting that the Master planner is already at work. Only He’s working from a view of 30,000ft. Carrie, a woman I’ve had the privilege of being on a team with for eight months of this journey, said the other day, “I don’t have a plan, but my Planner does. He just hasn’t shown me the calendar yet.”
Sometimes God reveals only our ground level next steps because He knows what we can handle. Other times He might show us a little bit of the bigger picture (from 364ft maybe?). Whether you’re terrified looking at your next step into the next moment of your life, or whether your facing a decision that will affect your life for months or even years to come, remember that Jesus is looking at more than just your day planner. He’s got it all figured out. It is good. It is pleasing. And it is perfect (Romans 12:2). His plans for you are filled with prosperity, hope, and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). We don’t have to be anxious about anything. His view from 30,000ft surpasses any understanding we might think we have with our two feet planted stubbornly on the ground (Philippians 4:6-7).
When He reveals your next step and it’s from the terrifying view of 364ft, listen for and trust in His voice.
You can do it. I’ve got you now. You’re safe.
And then jump. Because, after all, YOLO.
