I used to love summer as a kid. It was a time of playing and having fun. But the summer of 1979 was different for me because it was a time of new adventures.
For one, I saw the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. While that in itself was exciting, it was also my first trip without my parents. I went with my cousin Julie and her mom and aunt. It was kinda freeing in a way. I felt less like a kid and more like a real 14 year old teenager.
One evening, we went to an amusement park. There, Julie’s aunt asked if I would ride the roller coaster with her. That was the first time anyone had ever asked me to do that. Why? Because my parents wouldn’t ever even consider getting one of them. So, I hadn’t either until that moment. For a few seconds, I actually considered it because I loved fast rides. But what changed my mind was how high up the cart had to travel upward before it dropped. To say that I don’t like heights in an understatement. So, I declined. She rode by herself. To her, it was no big deal. You know, I was a little jealous of that.
My other new adventure happened the next day. We drove to an attraction that had a tall platform for people to jump off of it. I guess you could call it a zipline. They harnessed you in and you slid very quickly back down to the ground on a wire. The others asked me if I would do this one. At that time, it never occurred to me that they were trying to help me get over my fear of heights.
For some reason, it didn’t seem as scary to me as the roller coaster. So, I agreed. As I climbed up the platform, I became more and more nervous. When I got to the top and looked down, I had a small panic attack, which I tried to hide. I wondered how and why I had agreed to do this. Did I need to go back down the ladder? Then I thought back to the summer before when I was tempted to jump off the high dive at the pool. Once I stepped out on the diving board, I realized just how tall it really was. I politely turned around and backed down off the ladder. Embarrassingly for me, those waiting in line behind me, were kids my age or a little younger. Not wanting to experience that again, I began to pray about it. That’s when a boy about my age began talking to me as we waited in line on the platform.
Bless his heart, I think he saw that I was scared and uncertain about jumping off of the side. He told me his name and I told him mine. Now, I hate to admit this, but I don’t remember his. All I can tell you is that he and his family were visiting the beach from Virginia. Fortunately for me, talking to him helped to bring me down to the point that I felt calmer about everything. When his time came up, he jumped off with no hesitation. After reaching the ground, he smiled and waved back at me. I stepped up and they placed the protective gear on me and gave me safety instructions. Then I said another quick prayer. Now, I didn’t close my eyes when I stepped out and onto nothing. I felt myself drop and I had a moment of fright, but the next second, I popped back up and was flying down the zipline with the wind in my hair.
“And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” Matthew 14:28-29 (KJV)
That step was a growth moment for me. I actually took a step of faith in that I didn’t let my fear overtake my thinking. To me, this verse exemplifies that. I know that is easier said than done, but if The Lord tells you to do it, then you need to do it.
I took the picture of the platform right after we parked. As you can see, somebody had just jumped from it. Too bad I didn’t think to have one of the others take the picture of me as I did that. I would still be showing that puppy off to people: “Look at what I did!”
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you