Zip Lining

I had a wonderful opportunity to head to Cincinnati this past week.  And the obvious question is: what is in Cincinnati?  And the answer is: I was headed with a dear friend to go see the "Ark Encounter", which is in Kentucky, only a short distance from Cincinnati, over the bridge  on the other side of the Ohio River. (Hotels were better in Cincinnati) The Ark was built as a magnificent replica, according to biblical dimensions that God gave to Noah, and it was a remarkable visual of the story that I have heard all of my life.  But it wasn’t just an outside mock up, it was an unbelievable inside vantage point as well, including water vessels and cages and stories, mechanical life sized figures etc.  Just "over the top" of anything I could ever have imagined imagined! 

But now to another point of interest. One of the attractions that was on site was a Zip Line experience. (Screaming Eagle Ariel Adventures)  I figured, I had come this far and might as well check out the whole area and  step out of my comfort zone and go for it.  That I did!  The zip line package included seven different jaunts through the trees, over the highway, going from tower to tower and even one ride landing as you would as a parachuter on low ground.  One of the seven lines could get a guest up to a 40 mile an hour speed and at at one point one of the lines was 17 stories high above the ground. It was exhilarating, to say the lease, scary at best, and quite rewarding to my inner quest for adventure. The Ark Encounter, as expected, was amazing and left me humbled, and in continued awe of God who is so great, and a man so convicted of/in his faith. The zip line, conjured up a different set of emotions.  And these are thoughts that are more easily explained,and possibly more applicable, especially for those of you who have had a zip line experience. 

You first have to be aware of the adventure and willing to explore it.  Then you do a little research, read reviews and make a conscious decision to step into the adventure, but just as life has it, adventures and new territories come with risks.  (The waiver itself for Zip Lining is likely to scare anybody off). We are introduced to our two guides, who will instruct us and guide us on this adventure. Then comes the gear: the helmet, the harness, the gloves and the connecting rope with its 8 inch disk clamp. When you are all suited up then comes the instructional part, a short demo from the guides, and then a small hands on “see if you were listening” excerise....a little daunting.  And then we were off tracking onto the dirt paths headed to the towers.  They were steep, often times wobbly but ALWAYS safe, as the clamp that was attached to the rope on your harness had to always be connected to a safety cable as you climbed to your destination.  Once atop, your clamp is attached to a trolley that is secured to the zip line.  You take a big breathe, step onto a quite small platform, hoist yourself off into mid air and you are in flight.  A guide is waiting on the other end advising you by his hand signals to keep on coming or try to slow yourself down by tapping on the cable with your gloved hand, as you are coming in too fast.  And you land down safely on the platform, try to get your heart beat to slow down and get ready for the next ride. And there you have it, ZIP lining.  

And how does this compute with a Godly devotional?  First of all: God gives us opportunities, adventures and challenges in life everyday.  Some are ones we choose, some are ones God allows. But upon discovery and acceptance of whatever it is that has come into play, we often times do a little research and learn from the adventures of others.  God gives us those resources to give us some earthly support. What is key to remember in every lifetime scenario, is that we are never alone on a journey without a guide; God and the very presence of his Holy Spirit.  

Next step is to get ready and suit up. This one called for a helmet, a harness, and gloves. Those are the essentials needed for the safety of this exercise.   The bible talks about armor; the helmet, the belt, the sword, the boots...these are the safety essentials for everyday life. We have to trust God and our equipment, for God equips us for the tasks at hand. We were given instructions, and they are for our own good and our own safety; like what to hold tight to, and what to trust.  There are times when we dismiss God’s instructions thinking they really aren’t that important, and sometimes just we just forget to hold onto what is true and casually try to glide by the seat of our pants, but chances are that we can get burned if we are not paying attention and attesting to what we know to be true and righeous. 

It is critical to stay clipped to the safety cable.  As it is critical to stay hooked into God’s word and his truths. 

Sometimes we were climbing, and other times we were flying, as it is in life.  There are times when we are working hard to keep up and heading to a higher goal, and sometimes that treck upwards just can take the breath out of us and leave us panting for air.  We have to stay on track and be faithful;  for James 1:3-4says faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  

There are times when we are standing on that small platform of hope, looking fearfully down down instead of hopefully up.  It is then that faith must take hold so that we can garner up the courage and strength to step into God’s hands.  He has equipped us with his word, his spirit and his hope to find joy and blessings even in the scariest of times.   

We have to watch and listen for our guide (God) as he tells us to slow down and brake because all too many times we get going too fast and can very well come in for an unchartered landing if we are not careful.  And once we successfully get through the experience of a first test run of an unknown situation,  God seems to continues to help us grow in yet another cycle of life’s experiences. But as our testing grows, so does our character, our confidence and our dependance in God and his many ways of grace and mercy and provision.  I know there were times when I turned around backwards and couldn’t see that forward plank that I was to land on, and then at just the right time, I was able to swing back into focus and land without issue.  

Life is like that, sometimes we are truly out of control of the circumstances that are about us, and on that note, we just have to keep on keeping on and trust God to maneuver us His way in His time.  

This was an exhilarating adventure, filled with fast heartbeats, scary times, glistening palms, (that’s girl talk for sweating) but always a  heaping amount of “God is Zipping with me, and thought this was a little high for me, It was nothing for God....for he always gets to see things from his heavens above!  We are challenged day by day and are often jolted into scary and uncomfortable situations, but this is what LIFE is all about.  It is an adventure, that is driven by God, and experienced by us. Faith, Hope and Courage are our partners in flight. May we trust God with all that he places in our path, and find joy in the ride.        

  

Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!