Josiah Road

This Had Better Be Strong Velcro!

I am a daredevil. I mean, I’m no Evel Knievel, but I love roller coasters, snowboarding and I’ve eaten some adventurous foods (what can I say? My sister likes to cook…). When the opportunity presented itself to bungee jump, something inside me was stirred…

In May, 2007, I traveled to Athens, Greece, with a group of college students to volunteer for two weeks at a refugee center. While most of our time was spent meeting and helping wonderful people at the center, we did take a couple days to experience the sites of Greece. We rented a bus, hooked up with a local missionary friend, and took a mini road trip to see ancient Corinth. About two hours from our destination we made a rest stop at the famous Corinthian Canal. Although the canal itself is impressive, what first caught my eye was a small building to the side with a sign that read “Bungee Jumping”. Before I could stop myself, I said three words that still haunt me to this day, “I’d do it.” However, as I got off the bus walked across the bridge I began to have second thoughts. WHAT WAS I THINKING?! Then the clouds parted and a light shone from the heavens behold a sign CLOSED (cue angelic chorus). I breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, our scheming missionary friend called the owners and convinced them to come in and let us jump! I watched in horror as my brother and three of my friends plummeted into the depths of the Corinthian Canal, attached to a chord held by…Velcro? Oh no, my turn. Attempting to look brave I crawled to the ledge. It started to rain. “No one will push you.” The jumpmaster said. I had a choice, to jump or not to jump. “God, I’ll see you soon.” I jumped! Well, I wanted to, but my legs were like jell-o, so I kind of just fell forward, but what a rush! I was half way down before I had time to scream! I’ll always remember that experience. I had never experienced such fear! I had never known such excitement!

There are times in life when God asks us to do some scary stuff. He may ask us to move to a different city, transfer to a new school, or change jobs. He may ask us to do things well out of our comfort zone. In fact, the whole Christian life is a call to follow Jesus (Mark 8:34). We do not know where this may lead us, but we can count on God not letting us stay comfortable! If we could always stay comfortable, there would be no need for faith. I think of the Israelites trapped on the edge of the Red Sea with the Egyptian army closing in behind. God asks them to do something crazy. He tells them to move forward. (Exodus 14:15) “Um, God, I’m a decent swimmer but…” Move forward. It’s a step of faith. Life brings us to these decisions. We find ourselves at the edge of the Red Sea or on the edge of the bungee platform, and God is saying “Move forward.” It’s a step of faith, and no one is going to push us.