I stood on a wood platform at the top of the tree. A man motions for me to come over and step towards the edge. Shaking, I inch my way towards him. He grabs the rope attached to my harness, clips me onto the zipline and tells me to push myself off of the platform. My hands are shaking. Its a long way down. I will only know if this rope can hold me once I step off the platform. I take a deep breath, lean back, step off, and… I glided through the air! The rope and harness held me up and I accelerated down the zip line. As I flew through the air, I came to a clearing in the dense jungle where saw the vast beauty of Costa Rica: trees, mountains, and the Pacific Ocean. I was able to see a glimpse of paradise, and all because I took a chance and trusted the rope.
Yesterday, as I was journaling and reflecting on the past couple of days, I remembered our groups afternoon of ziplining in the trees and how much joy I got out of taking that chance. I think that trusting God feels a lot like that zip line. God tells me to do something and at times it is scary. I do not know how everything is going to turn out, but once I take that chance, I find so much blessing in following God.
Last night, my team and I went down to the beach to have our daily team time. Stephanie asked us to write something on a rock that we wanted to give to God and leave behind in Costa Rica. I wrote the word “fear” on my rock. we all tossed out rocks into the ocean, lettino go of our burdens. I felt so much lighter and free giving my fear to God.
I want to leave my fear behind because my fear is from not trusting God. I used to fear for my safety because I did not believe that God would protect me. I feared struggles and pain because I did not trust that God would bring me healing. I feared that I would fail because I did not trust that God had a plan for me. But I no longer want to live in fear. I want to trust God and listen to Him so I can follow the plan He has for me. Even when God asks me to do something that seems impossible or overwhelming, I want to dive into it with my whole heart knowing that He will protect me and bless me for following Him.
I have already seen the ways in which God has blessed me for trusting Him. One big example is going on The World Race. At first, the idea of an 11 month missions trip seems scary and overwhelming, but I trusted in God and went with His plan. Now, because I accepted the race, I am learning more about God and who He wants me to be. I am building friendships with teammates of all personality types. I am learning how communicate and compromise. I am able to spend time with God and hear His voice clearly because I have given Him space in my life to do so. I can’t even imagine how different my life would have been if I had been consumed by fear of the unknown and chosen not to do the World Race.
I will not live in fear any more because I have an all-powerful and all-knowing God who loves me and cares for me. I will trust in Him in all things. We leave for Nicaragua tomorrow, and instead of worrying about the unknown ahead, I will trust in God for I know that He has some amazing things planned for us. Every time I begin to fear or doubt in God, I will remember that zipline and remember that if I had not trusted the rope and stayed on the platform, I would have never experienced the beauty and blessing that God had to offer me.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
