It’s more than 25 years since David Kirke, founder of the Oxford Dangerous Sports Club, threw himself off the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol in the first Bungee jump. Since then has come snowboarding, windsurfing, paragliding, skydiving, kite surfing and so on. But it’s Bungee jumping which symbolises the daring, risky element in these new and increasingly popular sports.
Fortunately for the lily-livered among us, casting ourselves into space, trusting only to a piece of plastic, is not compulsory. But its emotional equivalent sometimes feels more obligatory. It emerges as a possibility when a choice confronts us, a particular course of action is suggested to us, or a new direction for our lives that’s been niggling away at us for a while rears its head again. In these or other ways, the feeling that we should cast ourselves into the unknown, with what seems like inadequate security, might grow in us until we either have to admit we are cowards or take the leap.
A Bungee jumper calculates the risks and makes sure they are confident in the support structure they are being offered. In the end though, there has to be that decision to do it. As we think about our lives and our futures, rational assessment is important. But it would be sad if opportunities for greater excitement and fulfilment in our lives were missed just because we didn’t dare take the plunge.
Read: Be strong and courageous (Joshua 1.6)
Rejoice: in the times when risks I took proved beneficial.
Reflect: Is there anything worthwhile I’m avoiding at the moment because it feels slightly perilous?
Remember: God says, “When you pass through waters, I will be with you, and through rivers they shall not overwhelm you” (Isaiah 43.2)
Resolve: to keep my eyes open for new opportunities.
Tasting Life 