The Day I Learned How to Fly- Part II

I glanced at the pamphlet from our tour guide- Big Mistake!

“READY FOR AN ADVENTURE YOU’LL NEVER FORGET? Ride cables 2000 ft long, over 300 ft tall, through 14 suspension platforms. An exhilarating experience of boiling adrenaline at its top.”

The young instructor strapped me in tandem to his belt and then to the thick cable above. “Does your mother know you do this for a living? I’d stay on my knees praying for you son!” He laughed out loud and jumped off the platform.

I closed my eyes, held my breath and prayed. My stomach and heart decided to stay behind.

“Lady, open your eyes! Look around you!”

I opened my eyes to a blanket of blue skies embracing me as we soared high above the rainforest canopy.

The valley underneath was sprinkled with gushing rivers, mountain towns, extensive farmland and the famous Mayan ruins in the distance.

We landed on the wooden platform, too wimpy-looking in my opinion.

“You can let go now,” he laughed. I was still clinging on to the young man, due to my legs refusing to stand straight.

My heart and stomach eventually caught up with me.

“Wasn’t flying fun mom?” my ten-year-old son jumped up and down. “And we still have lots more to go!”

“See ma’am? You just have to trust like your children do. And enjoy the journey.”.

The first part of the adventure taught me to trust.

I had no choice but to go through thirteen more platforms if I wanted to get to the bottom of the mountain.

So, I decided to be positive about it.

Instead of thinking of all the risks I focused on thanking God for the beauty around me and the gift of being with my family.

Suddenly, something shifted inside of me. The gratitude turned into peace and then to intense joy.

This was my second lesson. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 made perfect sense to me:

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”1 Th. 5:16-18

We got to the bottom, took off all the gear and stood in line to return it to our new friend.

He left me for last.

“You remind me of my mom,” he smiled and hugged me tight. “By the way, she feels the same way you do about my job. She prays for me first thing every morning.”

The pamphlet was right. That was an adventure I will never forget.