The leap of faith

On Saturday the 12th of May last year, I woke up and said to myself, ‘Today is the day!’

I caught the AJ Hackett Bungy shuttle with a group of other would-be adrenalin junkies and we arrived at the Nevis, situated about 40 minutes’ drive east of Queenstown.

At 134 metres, the Nevis is the highest bungy in New Zealand and the 11th highest in the world. Jumpers reach speeds of around 130 km/h and free fall for about eight seconds. Needless to say, on the inside, my heart rate was starting to pick up; but on the outside, I was displaying the calm and confident persona of someone who appeared to have no worries at all.

After we’d stepped onto the jump platform and gone through our final safety checks, the AJ Hackett staff member nonchalantly said, ‘Shaun, you’re up first, buddy.’ And it was at this point that I realised my false calm demeanour had perhaps worked a little too well!

As I nudged to the edge of the platform, nothing could have prepared me for the feelings associated with staring at a 134m drop seconds before taking the leap. It was at this point I thought to myself one simple word, ‘No!’

There are plenty of times in life when God wants us to step outside our comfort zones and take that leap of faith. Many of us, to varying degrees, may appear quite confident in taking these steps of obedience, yet when we finally reach the edge of our security, we calmly and simply say to God: ‘No.’

But the thing is, it’s not until we actually take that leap that some things start to make sense.

The staff member held my harness from the back, asked me to lean forward and said, ‘On my count, 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... BUNGY!”

Without having too much time to process anything, I was airborne. Eight seconds seemed like eight hours, and by the half way mark the excitement and adrenalin was starting to kick in. For some reason, my trust levels in the staff and my safety gear had intensified and a complete peace came over my body—along with a rush of excitement and exhilaration.

Many times in life, I’ve stood at the edge of the platform only to turn back. However, it’s in the times when I do take that leap—like my call to serve God as a Salvation Army officer (minister)—that I am overwhelmed with a sense of God’s protection, comforted by the understanding that God loves me too much to let me simply splat on the ground.

In Matthew chapter 14, we read about Peter putting his faith into action. Scared in a storm-tossed boat, Peter sees Jesus coming to him across the water. ‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter said, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come,’ Jesus said. Peter clambered out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

Wouldn’t it be amazing to take our own leaps of faith with the same level of trust that Peter showed when he first stepped out of that boat? What excitement and adventures await us when we do!

And we can take those leaps knowing there is no better safety harness than God.

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By Shaun Baker (c) 'War Cry' magazine, 24 January 2015, pp3
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