The Amazing Jump in The Sky

Often, I hear the phrase, take a leap of faith.  Well, recently I put it to the test. 

I like to think that I don’t have many fears, just hesitations are what I call them.  One of those ‘hesitations’ is being high up from the ground.  Of course, I won’t admit this to anyone because I am supposed to be a tough country girl. 

Recently I had been enjoying some beautiful photos that were taken high above the ground, whether they had come from a drone or someone who was doing some precarious activity to put them in the position to get a really cool picture.

I thought to myself, I want to see this view with my own eyes.  How cool it would be to forever have that in my memory.  This idea began to possess me to the point that I decided a skydiving excursion would be the way to see this stunning sight myself.

Promptly I called my friend to see if she would like to join me on this death-defying adventure.  She surprised me when she said yes and that she has always wanted to skydive.  My sister chimed in too.  Great!

With my friend and sister at my side to bolster my courage, we drove away leaving my mom on the side of the driveway standing with her hands in prayer mode.  We all laughed but I think silently we were all thankful for the back up from above. Then, off we went with Queen blasting through the speakers to help hype us up.  Lord knows, we needed it.

After we arrived, we were instructed to fill out a waiver form that seemed to go on and on with some repeats on how the outfit wasn’t responsible for any harm that may be sustained.  After twenty minutes of signing any rights away, we then were ready to move forward in the process and pay a hefty sum for this, ‘are we going to make our children rich with our life insurance’ adventure.

Once we were instructed on what to do during this thrill ride, we were equipped with a harness and goggles.  We smiled for the camera as my cohorts blamed me for this outrageous idea.  We were as ready as we were going to be.

We loaded into a small airplane through an opening where a Plexiglas slide door would be closed for the flight separating us from the outside. I think our instructors were more excited than us.  They hooped and hollered and filmed us to document this momentous occasion just in case we got dementia and forgot the whole experience.  During the short flight, our instructors clipped us to the front of them and we donned our goggles.  We were at their mercy for a safe and hopefully enjoyable ride.

After the airplane had made a quick sharp incline to 14,000 feet my sister and her instructor scooted their way to the edge of the now opened door and then just sort of fell out.  Now, I like to process what is happening, so while I was doing this, my instructor was gently pushing me toward the opening.  As instructed before our flight, I put my feet under the plane and before I could contemplate sitting on the edge of a plane with the wind whipping in my face, my instructor pushed us out.

The rush of cold air took my breath away until I finally screamed, “What am I doing?”  Yeah, a little late for that.  We fell for a minute at 120 miles per hour while my instructor filmed the whole thing.  My sister tells me we free fell for 2 miles.  EEEKS!  Then my instructor released the parachute slowing our descent to a quiet float in the air.

After getting readjusted in my harness, I was presented with the most amazing scenery that surrounded me.  No camera could do justice of the panoramic view I was witnessing, and I was glad to have this permanently printed on my brain.  My instructor and I did a high-five and as I started to relax and enjoy the ride, I put my full trust in the guy who had the parachute.  We floated down for about five minutes and then touched the ground with a soft landing.  What an awesome experience.

Sometimes this is how it feels for me to go on an adventure with God.  I don’t know what’s around the next bend waiting for me when I take that leap of faith like I did out of the plane.  It seems that God keeps gently pushing me out of my comfort zone so I can experience something new. 

I have many dreams and goals, but the challenge is in the beginning where I may hesitate or shy away because I don’t know what is ahead of me.

“Sometimes taking a leap of faith requires an imaginative mind that can create the ending you are unable to see.”

My instructor wanted to share an awesome experience with me, so he took on the responsibility and gently pushed me towards the unknown.  If I had never gotten on that plane and leaped out, I would have never experienced the beautiful scenery and the thrill of a lifetime and I would have regretted it to my dying breath.

“Take a leap of faith. You will either land somewhere new or learn to fly.”- Kandyse Mcclure

Sometimes I am thrust into an unforeseen event, but God reminds me that He is with me every step of the way guiding me with His parachute to a safe landing.  This is life and it gets messy at times, but I find that I can prevail and eventually come out to the other side stronger and wiser.  That is something to feel good about and no one can take that away from me.

“Gravity is love and every turn is a leap of faith.”- Warren Miller

I encourage you to not hesitate too long but move forward and take a leap of faith.  Besides, there is no fun in knowing every step of the way, where’s the adventure in that?  My instructor prepared me the best he could by coaching me on what will happen and what to do during the flight and the jump.  But he could not give me the feeling nor the full knowledge of the skydive experience.  That was something I had to experience myself.

My life will remain unchanged until I allow myself to step into the unknown of life and allow God to guide me along for an exciting adventure. 

“I love the recklessness of faith. First you leap, and then you grow wings.” – William Sloane Coffin

So, don’t miss out on another opportunity to live and grow into a better you because like my instructor, God wants to show you the cool and neat things in life.

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

                                Gwen