I won’t fall as long as you’re around me… (Sandra)

So, as Marc said in our previous blog, we found some great rock walls for the boys to climb while on vacation. It was fun to watch how they each approached this adventure. Caden, jumping up and down asking over and over and over: ”Can we sign up to climb the rock wall mom? Can we? Did you hear me mom? Mom? Can we climb the wall over there?” Then Eric, calmly coming over with all the details: “Mom, they have a rock wall here. We can climb it for free”…” Yes for free, but you have to sign the paper saying it’s okay. If you sign it, Ms. Marly will. Megan’s done it before, please, can we?” Then Riley, after I have said to ask their dad and dad said sure, he quietly approached, almost like he was afraid to hear the answer: “Mom, can I? Please, I know I can do it. Eric and Caden get to, can you sign me up to?”

Well, we signed them all up!

Eric got strapped in. You could see him studying the wall, asking questions. What’s the easy way up? Do you think I could do the medium? What’s the goal? That bell at the top, what’s it for? What are those red tape strips? Okay, I’m ready. I’ve got a plan! I can get the bell.” For Eric, it was about the facts, the task and the accomplishment.

Caden was so different. He wasn’t really paying close attention to the wall. Just strap me in. Let’s go. Oh, wait, how do I get down? What if I want to quit? Okay, let’s try it. This is like that so and so in the movie such and such were the guy is doing something and he is like climbing and then he falls and then he grabs hold and so and so comes to help and ………….” For Caden, it was about the journey. It was about the role play. It was about being someone else, the hero in his imaginary world The experience was what mattered not the end result. If he made it great, if not, oh well…

Riley was just so thrilled to be with the big kids. He is stoked. He can do anything Eric and Caden can do and he is just sure to be just as successful as his brothers. There is no question, he is doing this and proving to everyone, especially mom, that he isn’t the little kid anymore! Strap me into this thing and let’s go. I watched the other two. I already know how to do this. For Riley, it was all about proving he was capable. He had the ability. If he could do this, he wasn’t the baby anymore. He was just as strong as everyone else!

So, as they climbed I watched. I watched the kids. I watched the guy on the other end of the rope. You know that guy. The one holding my child’s life in his hands. The one who made me sign that lawsuit waver. The one who was responsible for stopping a fall.

Eric didn’t need him for more than a safety precaution. He was there for nothing more than to make sure if Eric somehow slipped he didn’t plummet. Eric was determined. He wasn’t going to slip. He didn’t need the “guy”. But for legal reasons, that guy had to be there. Eric made it. He rang the bell. He accomplished the goal. He was the man!

Caden relied fully on the “guy”. He climbed sort of nonchalantly, grabbing hold, pushing and pulling himself up, but always aware that the safety net was there. He couldn’t fall. There was nothing to worry about, but also no reason to hold on for dear life. His life wasn’t in danger. Caden made it about halfway. Then he looked down. Wow, that was a long way down. He had experienced a thrill. He had lived a few minutes of spiderman. He was the comic book hero for just a minute. What a fun thing to do. But halfway was good enough. He didn’t need to continue. His goal wasn’t the top, it was the experience. It was the thrill. It was the role-play. And, it was a long way down. “Okay, (guy) let me down.”

Riley was thankful for the guy. The guy was his protection. He had a job to do. Success meant he moved up in the world. Okay, but this was hard. Riley’s legs weren’t long enough. His arm span wasn’t wide enough. But the guy was tugging on that rope. When his hands slipped and he was only hanging on by fingertips, the rope tugged upward so he could reach the next hold. He finally made it. To the top. He rang the bell. He was all smiles! He couldn’t have done it without the “guy”, but that didn’t matter. Eric had “needed” the guy. Caden had “needed” the guy. Yes, he did it! He had arrived!

Well, we’ve been home a week. I was in the car listening to our current favorite song: Washed by the Water by Need to Breath. I’ve listened to it at least a hundred times. The volume is cranked and I’m singing along.

Even if the Earth crumbles under my feet
Even if the ones I love turn around and crucify me
I won’t never ever let you down
I won’t fall
I won’t fall
I won’t fall as long as you’re around me

As soon as I sang that last line, the boys on the wall came to mind. The “guy” was around the boys. He was their safety. They couldn’t fall. I felt like God was whispering “Remember, I’m your Guy?” Sometimes I forget that He is my Guy. I’m a high stress person…I can stress about anything: a messy house; a broken pool pump; rental properties that need to sell; credit card balances that are to high; getting groceries; something I said trying to be funny…that came out wrong; my weight; overdue library books; gas prices; weeds in the garden… and the list is endless. Let’s just say, I STRESS! But God is wondering if I remember that He is in control.

Like the “guy” did for Eric, God can hold me steady so I can climb and accomplish and find fulfillment without fear. What if I fail? He will catch me. He will take my failure and give it a purpose. I can’t fall if I let Him hold the rope.

Just as the “guy” held the rope for Caden, God can be my complete safety net. He protects me completely so I can live, love, laugh, experience EVERYTHING to it’s fullest joy (without the stress). Life can be a journey of excitement and a thrill ride of experiences. Will there be pain and sorrow? Sometimes. But, I can’t fall if I let Him hold the rope.

And finally, as the “guy” did with Riley, God will even pull me up to the top. When I don’t have the strength, the skill or the ability, He can accomplish what I cannot. Will success come without struggle? Probably not. It may even include sacrifice and a little of bit of “dangling in the wind” when my hands and feet slip. However, I can’t fall if I let Him hold the rope.

Is God your Guy?

Even when the rain falls
Even when the flood starts rising
Even when the storm comes
I am washed by the water

Even if the Earth crumbles under my feet
Even if the ones I love turn around and crucify me
I won’t never ever let you down
I won’t fall
I won’t fall
I won’t fall as long as you’re around me
- Washed by the Water – Need to Breathe

Vacation

Sigh… Got back from vacation a few days ago, and it was relaxing. I believe you can judge a vacation with one question – How many times did you have to wonder or ask “what day of the week is it?” I asked that several times.

Anyway, we went geocaching a little on this vacation… a little. We did some things that we have never done before as a family (by far not our first time down there): found 2 new waterfalls, visited President and Senator Clinton’s college home in Fayetteville, found 2 rock climbing walls (our 5 year-old made it to the 30 foot top), visited several lakes and parks and cemeteries, went to Silver Dollar City, saw Yakov Smirnoff, and found 111 caches.

Why do I tell you all of that? Why not. Nothing profound, just information. Normally, we go to Arkansas to sit around and do nothing to relax. This year, we drove around and did some things to relax.

But sometimes it is much easier to find a change of pace when on vacation… Back to the real world and a more efforted pace change.

The Ultimate Cache

We are still looking for that ultimate cache. The greatest container, in the best hiding spot, with the coolest swag (toys, trinkets, stuff, etc), and the most traveled trackables. Don’t get me wrong, we have found some very cool hides. We found one near a snake, one at night as small as a bullet in a pine tree, an amazing hide on a guardrail, one in a cemetery where both confederate and union soldiers, and even one that we thought we were going to need SCUBA gear for. That is just naming a few. I guess what I am trying to say is – we have found some very cool hides.

Towards the end of 2 Kings after many different kings of Israel that just flat out blew it, comes a king that was 8 years old when he took the crown. The boy king's father, who was king before him, was assassinated by his confidants (who were then killed by the people). After ruling for about 18 years, this young king made a discovery – a book. Just a simple book. Yeah, it was found in the temple. So were a ton of other books. But this book was a little different. This one was written by Moses – a three sermon series that he preached to the people of Israel, just before they crossed the Jordan into the “promised land.”

He could have very simply put it up on the shelf. Set it on the coffee table. Tossed it under the bed. But not this king, not Josiah. After reading it, he followed through. He eliminated the evil from Judah. And when I say eliminated, I mean eradicated. He destroyed temples, idols, poles (don’t ask), alters, evil priests, mediums and spiritists, household gods, and basically everything detestable. “Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.”

If only we could make that kind of commitment. If only we could just eradicate all of the crap out of our lives that we know isn’t right. If we could, maybe THAT would be the ultimate discovery. Maybe then could we live the ultimate discovery under the ultimate authority. Maybe, just maybe – the ultimate cache.

Fresh Paint

We found this park while out recently on the east side of Springfield Lake. The tunnel pictured allowed those visiting the park to cross the road (without looking both ways).

As we searched for a clue in our hunt for 10c toys, we were finding nothing. All we were looking for was a small tag with some numbers on it. But without the numbers, there was no way of finding the final portion of this hide. We looked some more in the tunnel, still nothing.

Then my oldest son pipes up and says, “Hey dad, it smells like fresh paint. I wonder if they painted over the clue.” Then he proceeds to say pointing at the roof of the tunnel, “Like right here.” What perception he showed, as he was spot on. A few fingernail scratches later and walla – the three digit number appeared. He took the time to notice what was right under all of our noses (pun intended).

This is the epitome of why I am blogging. I just want to point out some of the cool little spots we have found while out geocaching. Those areas that we would never have seen, gone to, visited, walked around if not for this silly little game. You know, the areas right under our noses that suddenly appear when you look at things differently.

Fresh paint and all, our family is Discovering a Change of Pace.