Most of the time we say jump for Jesus but what about jumping with him? In everything we do He is there right beside us, sometimes even carrying us. We are never alone. As God says, “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you”. We believe when it’s easy and things are going grand, but when things get hard and we’re faced with fears we don’t really believe. Fear is something we like to settle in like a warm blanket. When faced with it we want to turn around or do it our own way. Jesus calls us not to live in fear. Fear is not from Him but from satan. Recently, I went with my teammates to Victoria Falls in Zambia for our off day. I knew most of them wanted to jump off the bridge, which my teammate Shelby was trying to convince me to do with her. Heights I absolutely hate, sending me into complete panic, but the underlying fear is the fear of getting hurt and having to survive. Which could actually go many ways in life. I don’t rightly know how I agreed to do the jump. When I was observing the rope with my misconceived perception I thought, “oh well thats not too bad I could maybe do it.” When we think its easy, its easier for us to just do it, but when we realize its actually hard we wonder what were we thinking. So, we all head out there and I see some people do the canyon swing. Holy crap it was a drop! I can’t do this. I start pacing around and watching some others jump. The gear comes on. What am I doing? What am I doing? As I inch my way out to the plank. I was in complete panic as my teammate was trying to pump me up. We have to jump at the same time otherwise the beginning could be a lot harder then its meant to be. Doesn’t this sound familiar….when you face your fear Jesus is right there talking you through it. Though on most occasions its hard to register the voice when our emotions get the best of us until we calm down. We could turn away or we can face our fear knowing that we are not alone. I took baby steps on my way but when it came down to the big step out I didn’t hesitate. I screamed and honestly from what I can tell panic shot my nerves so bad that I passed out until I was jerked by the swing starting. It was a 300+ foot drop. Even at the beginning I was asking myself is this a healthy fear or a bad fear? I just wanted to be safe. The root core of it though goes a lot farther. How many times do we miss what could be an awesome experience by having a fear of it? How many times do we just pass up what God has for us? Do we trust Him with are fears? The answer should be yes I do trust you. Yes I will jump with you. God jumps for us we just have to be willing to jump with him. Jump and discover all that He has in store for you. What I did in jumping off the bridge is actually a lot smaller in the scale of it all, but for me it was really big. Facing deep fears is a step towards being the full you in Christ. Every hard step that you persevere through builds your character. Every fear you face breaks the chains satan has on you. Every suffering you face may be painful and unpleasant but can strengthen you. In the end it will all produce a harvest for Gods Kingdom and He will richly reward you.
Love you all!
On another note I’m almost fully funded but I still currently need $347 and the deadlines already. Prayers are appreciated and if God puts it on your heart to donate thank you so much. Thank to all those that have supported me financially and in other ways for this missions trip. love you all!
