A Leap of Faith

          

        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.