Several months ago, John and I went on
an adventure…zip lining. It was a
blast! We had to fill out the paperwork
(saying we wouldn’t sue them if we died, lol) and got a short lesson about how
to hold onto the line and how to stop.
The guide showed us that in order to brake, you simply put your left
hand on the line and pushed your palm down.
That would create resistance and slow you down. He also showed us the hand signal that he
would give when it was time to start braking.
He said to keep our eyes on him so we would know when to brake…simple
enough.
The first
several zips were amazing! We were over 100 feet up in the air, going between trees, over lakes, and having so much fun! I would make sure to watch the guide and
stopping was not a problem. Until we got
to the “race” zips. These lines were
side by side and John and I went at the same time to “race” each other. I’m normally not a super competitive person,
but when John started talking smack (in a loving way, of course, lol), the
competitiveness came out of me and came out big. I was devising a plan in my head: I am smaller than him so I knew I wouldn’t go
as fast, BUT I also knew that if I held my legs up to my chest as close and tight
as I could, I would have less wind resistance than him. So that was the plan and off we went. We were pretty much side by side the whole
time. I looked up and saw the guide signal for us to brake. Out of the corner of my eye I saw John start
to slow down, but I chose to ignore the signal so I would get a few more seconds of speed than him. I started braking way later than I was
supposed to, and I ended up flying to fast onto the platform and hitting a tree…BUT
I WON!!
Lol!
I have so often thought
about that experience in real life situations.
God wants us to keep our eyes on Him, to see His signals. So many times we are focused on getting to
the top or being better and faster than someone else that we ignore His signals
to slow down. When we eventually do
adhere to Him, it’s too late, and often times, we’ve hit a tree. I never want to take my eyes off Him for a
second. It’s not worth it.
Lord, please help me always
remember to watch for Your signals in my life.
If and when I get sidetracked, help me refocus on You…for You are always
there: waiting on me at the next
stop.
"In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He
shall direct thy paths.”
Proverbs
3:6 KJV
