All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. (2 Ti 3:16–17 NRSV,1989)
Tuesday, October 15th, a beautiful fall day in the mountains of Colorado Springs, Colorado, I had an unusual reminder as to the importance of having scripture “written on my heart” so that I would be “proficient” and “equipped”—not just for “every good work”, but so that I would be trained in how to abide in the Lord—even, or maybe I should say especially, in the midst of unusual circumstances.
My husband, Mark, and I were winding up a week together visiting some of the most beautiful locations in the United States—a couple nights on the south rim of the Grand Canyon and ending with a couple nights in Colorado Springs. The Colorado Springs trip was actually a work-related conference for Mark, but as a special treat, we were invited to choose a non-work-related activity for Monday afternoon and one for Tuesday afternoon. On Monday, we chose a Segway tour of the Garden of the Gods, but for Tuesday, we chose a zip line course. Just so you know, some of the other options were an hour-long spa experience, an electric bike ride in the Garden of the Gods, a food tasting experience throughout Colorado Springs, golf, and a hike. I should also share with you that I am absolutely terrified of heights. In fact, I have difficulty watching people on a bridge in movies or on the television! I decided that at age 66, I could do most of the activities for the remainder of my life. A zip line course in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains—that’s an activity I probably won’t be able to do many more years.
One of my fellowship bands has often discussed the quote, “Words create worlds” by Jewish theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel. That quote led me to practicing words of affirmation for myself and for others, such as “I am healthy, fit, loved, and forgiven.” Given my fear of heights, I decided Heschel’s wisdom could be put to good use looking towards our zip line experience. Early Tuesday, I decided the world or attitude I would create would be “I trust our guides and our equipment. I am safe and, therefore, unafraid.” I repeated that phrase over and over adding later, “…and the view will be extraordinary!”!
Our zip line course began with a training area that was only a foot or two (less than a meter) off of the ground where we learned the hand signals our guides would use to indicate we were going too slow, we were going too fast and needed to slow down, and how to pull ourselves hand-over-hand if we didn’t make it all the way to the landing platform. The signal to “come on in” was above waistline as if the guide were waving towards themselves. The signal to “put on the breaks” or slow down was below the waist and reminded me of dribbling a basketball. The course had 5 separate zip lines with line 3 being a point of no return. That means, if we committed to line 3, the only way down was to finish zip lines 4 and 5. I committed to all 5 zips, and truthfully, up until line 5, the scariest part was the steep set of stairs leading up to the platform where we would launch.
Line 5, named “Gold Rush”, was the longest and highest of the zips at 1,508 ft (460 m) in length and a height of 147 ft (45m). I launched, and while nervous as much about the long span as I was the height, I was able to look around and admire the view. I kept my eyes on my guide, and it looked like he was signaling me to come on in, so I never put on my break (basically putting light pressure on the bottom cable with the flat of my palm, not to actually stop, but to slow my approach.) They told us we would be zipping at 45-48 miles (72-77 k) per hour throughout this course, and I definitely felt the speed.
As I came close enough to the landing platform on zip 5, it looked like my guide was signaling for me to “come on in” so I never put on my break (basically putting light pressure on the bottom cable with the flat of my palm, not to actually stop, but to slow my approach.) I learned later that he was dramatically signaling me to “break” or slow down! I was coming in way too fast! The guides have the ability to help with breaking, but apparently I was coming in so fast, what they refer to as “coming in hot”, my guide had no choice but to let me bounce back out on the zip line. I heard him say, “You’re going to bounce back out. Don’t worry. Just hang tight. We’ll get you back.”
Thanks to my Inspire Community, and especially, a small group that felt convicted to memorize not just select Bible verses but chunks of scripture, I found myself reciting Matthew 5 while I waited for my guide. The Beatitudes and the “You have heard it said…, but I say…” passages all came back to me. The Holy Spirit also brought to my mind a quote by James Bryan Smith that one of my bands uses to end our time together: “I am one in whom Christ dwells and delights. I live in the strong, unshakable kingdom of God. The kingdom is not in trouble and neither am I.” And, I talked to Jesus. I won’t say I had an epiphany while I hung on the zip line, but the words from scripture kept me “grounded”—even suspended above the treetops!
Kurt, the guide on that final landing platform, secured his equipment to the zip line and slowly inched his way towards me using his hands on the line rather than the zip gear so that he wouldn’t crash into me. As soon as he was in front of me, he asked how I was doing and had me lift my legs so he could get as close as possible in order to reach around me to secure a line that attached me to his gear. He then began the long journey back to the platform leaning backwards while pulling us both hand-over-hand. When we reached the landing platform, Kurt asked again how I was doing. I replied, “I’m fine. I recited Matthew 5 and talked to Jesus.” Kurt said, “I got the message!”
I had been praying for an opportunity to share my faith, so when Kurt mentioned he got the message, I said, “That’s what prayer is all about, isn’t it—us talking to Jesus and someone else responding to the nudge of the Holy Spirit to be the answer to someone else’s prayers.”
When a young engineer in our group asked me what I did while I was hanging on the zip line, I told him about reciting Matthew 5 and talking to Jesus, and that I now understood the importance of having scripture written on my heart! The LORD inspired me to prepare in advance for a situation that could have had me in a full blown panic attack, but instead allowed me to persevere and witness to the importance of knowing scripture—not just for the sake of memorization, but to know how God’s story intersects with ours and to equip us for all circumstances. The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!
Judy is a retired minister, scholar and Inspire Missioner in Indiana, USA
