Zip-line Adventures

Can you imagine zip-lining through the rain forest canopy surrounded by vegetation so dense the ground and the sky are tucked away from view? Have you ever been in a place where noises originate from undercover creatures and reverberate through the treetops? Can you imagine that? I can; I zip-lined through the Central American rain forest several years ago with a group of teenagers. I was chaperoning middle-school students one summer; destination, Costa Rica. I will never forget flying through the air, dangling beneath cables stretched between jungle trees.

I wasn't real excited about our excursion through the vegetation, but it seemed silly to travel that far and pass on such an adventure. So, there I was. As if the instructions of how to zip among the trees at "100 mph" were not daunting enough, the equipment we had to climb into almost made me bolt toward the safety of the visitor's center.

A harness and helmet I could understand, but why were we attached to two ropes by which to dangle from the zip-line? Oh, right . . . in case one of the cables happened to break. And leather garden-type gloves? Hm. . . a way to slow us down if we happened to break the speed of sound when headed straight toward a tree . . . o-k-a-y. This was sounding worse and worse the further I got into the process.

It was a good thing the fact of being 70 feet above ground was not revealed until we were winding our way up the dusty road toward the trees. I contemplated jumping from our rusty Costa Rican limousine fashioned from an old military vehicle, but my temporary paralysis prevented my escape.

When we reached the course, the teens were ready to go. Oh, to have been young and naive once again, but alas, I was old, wise, and saw my life flashing before my eyes. It didn't help that a bullet ant was sitting on one of the cables laughing at me as I pondered my fate. What was I thinking when I signed up for this? My only way out was to move forward; our group had passed the point of no return and there was no turning back.

I twisted and spun in circles after hopping from the safety of the first platform. I felt kind of sick to my stomach, but I had nine more jumps to make. On my second attempt, I used one of my leather glove-clad hands to stabilize myself. I zipped along without twisting, but I slowed down so much that I stopped about 15 feet short of the landing platform and one of the zippy-guides had to come rescue me. I'm glad the vegetation prevented me from seeing how high above the forest floor I was dangling.

So continued my zip-line adventure; jump after jump after jump. But, I made it even though I wanted to bail out before I ever even started. Did you realize that Christianity can be like my high-flying adventure? Sometimes, as Christians, God asks us to do things that are daunting, like my rain forest escapade. We may not always want to do it, but it is silly to become a Christian and not try the things that make life worth living. Just like I traveled to Costa Rica and didn't want to miss a zip-line opportunity, we should take that same approach when God takes us places spiritually and provides daunting adventures.

Sure, it was hard to get through all those jumps, but I'm glad I did it. When I look back on all the instructions I received, the equipment the zippy-guides provided, and the expert care they used with our entire group, I was in good hands. How much better is God at watching over us? When we heed His instructions, the Bible, we learn how to zip through life. He even equips us for any call he places on our lives. He provides a spiritual harness so we are always attached to Him, and He gives us the helmet of salvation so protect our minds from negative thoughts (Ephesians 6). And, if we run out of speed like I did on my second jump, He is there to come rescue us; He won't ever leave us hanging.

After surviving my first, and what I considered my last zip-line experience, I was horrified a few years later when my family wanted to zip-line on our trip to Hawaii. I really struggled with that decision, but, once again, I thought, How can I go all that way and not have this adventure with my boys? So, once again, I harnessed up, put on a helmet, and rode another antique military vehicle up a dusty road that wound up into the hills. Except this time, I could see the for miles out over the Pacific Ocean as we stood high atop the coast of Maui. It was beautiful and I was with my family. It made all the difference in the world.

One last note: because I was the only one in our tour group that had ever been on a zip-line, I raced along each stretch of cable straighter and with more control than anyone. And, by the end of our excursion, I was not just hopping from each platform, I was actually launching myself into the wild blue yonder, because I had experience and confidence. It's the same way with God. The more you trust Him and step out into the adventures He places before you, the easier and more enjoyable it is to zip through life.

So, if you ever go on a zip-line adventure, think about how much it is like Practical Christianity when we move forward and gain experience and confidence, even if it isn't really what we want to do.

(c)2009 Shona Neff