This
morning, it was my turn to work the Crow’s Nest. For those of you who do not
know, the Crow’s Nest is a small 4ftx4ft ledge that you climb onto in order to
zip off of the zip line. Needless to say, with two people up there, it gets
pretty squished. My job of facilitating the Crow’s Nest involves me clipping
the camper into the harness, transferring them onto the zip line, and sending
them on their way. It’s not as easy as it sounds. Some campers have done this
before, so it is a breeze for them, while others are extremely scared of
heights and it took them all of their effort just to climb up the ladder to get
to the zip. Considering that I am up there for a couple hours, I have a lot of
“me” time. But today was different.
I didn’t
have just “me” time, I had “me” and “God” time. As I was sitting on the ledge,
awaiting the next “zipper”, I looked around and let my head drop onto my back,
leaving me gazing at the sky. I saw the barn in the distance, surrounded by
acres of green and topped off with plush, white clouds. The breeze was cool,
and the sun was present, but not hot. It was perfect. All of a sudden I started to pray, aloud. Let
me tell you that I do not do this often. Not the praying part, the aloud part.
I can’t put my finger on where this sudden burst of devotion came from, but I
am so grateful that it happened.
God saw me
atop my perch and called upon me to not just be a facilitator, but to be an
advocate for Christ; in whichever way I choose to do so. Coincidentally, the
next camper that came upon my perch was scared out of their mind. Trembling
with fear, I could see the anxiety in her eyes. As she stood up next to me, she
clenched my forearm. I then realized that she was putting all of her faith into
my hands. I calmly told her to take a deep breath and to look around at the
beautiful surroundings. Immediately, her face became serene and she slowly sat
down onto the edge of the nest. I looked her in the eyes and told her that she
could do it; all she had to do was jump. Next thing I knew, there she went, zipping
away into the corridor of trees.
Later on,
that same girl came up to me and told me thank you. She was glad that I had
convinced her to go and complimented me on how comfortable and safe I made her
feel. When she walked away, I started to tear up. That was the kindest thing I
had heard in a long time.
That jump
off of the Crow’s Nest is more than just a way down; it is a leap of faith. God
places these obstacles before us so that we do not have to conquer them alone;
it is a reminder that no matter what, somebody will be by your side. I served
as God’s wing(wo)man today by helping God help others conquer their fears. Not
only did they have to have the faith to jump off that ledge, but I had to
realize that the challenge faced before me was that I had to have the faith
that I could send each and every one of these campers down that zip line with
confidence.
God is
always working around us, you just have to stop and listen and take that leap
of faith.
Love to all,
Lena B.
