I am terrified of heights. I don’t know if that sentence does justice for how I feel about heights. I absolutely hate heights. The worst is when you are standing at the top of hill or mountain and you can’t see the ground over the top. A few years ago when I was in Nicaragua, I decided I was going to hike up a dormant volcano and sand board back down. As we were driving up to the volcano I immediately regretted my decision. When we go to the top and had to walk around the rim of the volcano, I just stared at the ground in front of my feet. The path was about 8 feet wide and both sides had drops that would result in death.
When we got to the part we would board down, it was my worst fear. I couldn’t see the slope I was supposed to ride down. If you look closely at the picture above, you can see people standing at the top of the volcano and the trail of dust is someone sliding down. I tried to force myself to walk up to the edge to try to see the slope but I couldn’t do it. I decided I was just going to walk back down the way I came up (until I was informed this wasn’t actually an option). I was almost in a state of full-blown panic. Fear had taken over and it was controlling my thoughts. My leader informed me that my options were to board down or walk down, but either way I was going down. I mustered up every ounce of courage I could and got on my board and went down. I won’t say it was the most enjoyable thing I’ve ever done, but it definitely wasn’t as bad as I was anticipating.
As much as I hate heights, I love looking out of the window when I am on an airplane. It’s fascinating to me to see the world from that perspective. I am way higher than I was on that volcano, but it is so cool to me. The biggest difference is that in the plane I feel safe and secure. Standing on top of the volcano there was no safety (seriously, no hand rails or anything). Because of the security of the plane, my fear of heights has no impact on me when I am on one.
Just as a plane keeps me safe from my fear of heights, God’s presence keeps me safe from the attacks of life. Psalm 61:3-4 says, “for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!” Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” When I am in the presence of God, the fears of the world can’t have an impact on me. No matter what kind of storm is raging around me, God keeps me safe and dry. When I don’t run to Him, I am just like I was on top of that volcano, afraid and in trouble. I’ve got to make sure I am surrounded by God.
until next time…