Four hundred and eighty-six feet above the Snake River, the Perinne Bridge near Twin Falls, Idaho, is one of the few bridges in the country that allows base jumping. On any given day there is surprisingly steady stream of jumpers. On a recent visit to the bridge we watched jumper after jumper jump with a small pack attached to their back that held the difference between life and death. Every time someone stepped over the rail and let go I gasped, held my breath and didn’t take another until the chute was adequately filled with air and the jumper became a floater. I’m told they have just two seconds in which to pull the cord that opens their chute… less than 5 seconds to the bottom if something goes wrong. As I watched with my children, I wondered what I would do if something did go wrong. Thankfully we never had to figure that out.
Why…. why do we have such a strange fascination with things that have the potential to go terribly wrong. Sometimes we just can’t look away. We can’t turn our minds to something else. I have this problem, maybe you do too. Not only can I get fixed on the base jumpers, I can get fixed on the sickness, the drama, the bad news, the brokenness, the mess. I think we all do.
A few days later I stood on that same bridge… 486 feet above the Snake River and absorbed a glorious sunset. Breathtaking… but not in the gasping and holding breath … but an awe and wonder sort of take my breath away. I could look at nothing else. I was captivated. Somehow, watching the sunset makes everything seem right in my world… even when it’s not. The vast vista filled the entire canyon and my mind, leaving room for nothing else… lovely!
I can focus on the micro….a base jumper risking life and limb for a moment of thrill. Gasping for breath and wondering what I will do if something goes wrong. Or…I can focus on the macro… a sunset, created by the creator to showcase His creation for a moment of thrill for all who pause to take it in. Both capture my attention… one holds me hostage with fear…. The other brings a sense of peace and freedom.
WHATEVER…..
I am now several weeks into my 48th year of life…. And NO! Base Jumping is not on my bucket list. I have very little desire to even stand on the Perinne Bridge. But I do conquer my fear for a walk out on that bridge to watch the sunset. It is a great vantage point, but I need to decide what I am going to look at. Will it be something that holds me hostage with fear, or something that brings peace and freedom.
When I turned 48, Philippians 4:8 (4:8 for my 48th year) came to my mind. It goes like this, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Did you get that? Think about the true, honorable, just pure, lovely, commendable. The “whatevers” don’t hold you hostage with a possibility of ending bad. They bring peace and freedom. Oh, they might take your breath away…. In a good way. So, for my 48th year… and beyond… I am thinking about what I’m thinking about. If it’s not true, honorable, just, pure, lovely or commendable…. it’s micro… a small thing in the big picture…. and I turn my attention elsewhere.
Yes, I have a few things in my life that will hold me hostage if I let them… it’s not like we could pretend those base jumpers just did not exist. They do…but where is my focus? From the vantage point I have been given I have a choice…. And I choose to focus on “Whatever”. The true, honorable, just, pure, lovely or commendable … and I think I might just go watch the sunset tonight.
Would you like to join me?
