Nik Wallenda Crosses Arizona Canyon
I watched Sunday night as many of you did. Kelly and I were taking a walk after church when a friend called and said, “When you get back home from your walk you need to turn it on the Discovery Channel, there is a guy on there and he is going to walk a tightrope across the Grand Canyon.” I knew then it had to be the same guy who had recently walked across Niagara Falls. When I got back home from our walk I turned the TV on and it was that guy, it was Nik Wallenda. The same guy who had walked a tightrope across Niagara Falls. I was in. I wanted to see it despite my uneasiness of heights. I watched from my bed as Jack Hanna and Joel Osteen watched live, and in person. As I watched the feat unfold, my hands and feet were sweating from my nerves and fear of heights. But nonetheless, I was amazed by Nik’s audacity and I was captivated by the feat that was being endeavored. As I listened to Nik pray and communicate with God, I remembered his intimacy and dependency on God from the walk across Niagara. It was once again, unbelievable and all inspiring at the same time. Kelly and I had our own opinions and questions as I am sure many of you did as well, but we were still all in when it came to watching this spectacular feat and unbelievable challenge. We weren’t going to turn the channel until he completed this journey of walking on a cable that was stretched across the Grand Canyon. Although there were many times I wanted to stop watching and several times where I found myself praying for him, and with him, we didn’t turn the channel! We watched until the end and rejoiced with him and all who were watching this astounding moment.
There were several things I noticed in his routine of accomplishing this feat: his praying, his candid conversation with his dad, his confidence in God’s help, and his endurance in the midst of adversity. All while walking on a wire suspended somewhat 1500 feet above the canyon. Things such as the wind blowing both he and the wire and the dust coating his eyes and the cable, just to name a few. There were also many things that I couldn’t believe Nik was doing while on the wire. Things like stopping to wipe off his shoes with the spit from his mouth on the palms of his hands. And then there was the kneeling down to stop and take a break while suspended in the air on a wire still some 1500 feet above the canyon. As Nik neared the end of the cable there was a relief that seemed to come upon everyone, including me. He changed his countenance and procedure as he neared the end. As a matter of fact, he ran the last few feet of the journey, jumped off the cable, and kissed the ground. He then embraced his wife and family, and then talked to the interviewers. Some of the things that he said during his walk really stuck with me. For example, He said, “It was more difficult than I thought it would be.” He also said, “The wind was very strong, and it created an illusion that was difficult for me to overcome, and made it a struggle to keep my bearings.” But the thing I was most impacted by him saying is when he explained why he would stop and kneel while still on the rope.
You see I thought he was resting. I also imagined he was focusing, while regaining his bearings and strength. But he explained the reason he would stop and kneel down. He said that as he walked, and the wind blew, the rope would “get a rhythm.” He went on to say, “The only way to break the “rhythm of the rope” was to stop and kneel.” Now if you know me, I was thinking: “That will preach!” What did Nik do to break the rhythm of the rope? He stopped and knelt. Sometimes our lives get a “rhythm” but we don’t even realize it because we don’t stop long enough to notice. If you want to break the negative and hindering rhythms of life, you will need to stop and kneel. When things are falling apart, stop and kneel. When you are angry and frustrated, stop and kneel. When you lose your bearings, stop and kneel. When things don’t seem as they appear, stop and kneel. When people are difficult and life is a struggle, stop and kneel. When you don’t think you have the strength to make it, stop and kneel. Nik conquered the cable and crossed the canyon. He was able to do so because he relied on God and stopped the opposing rhythm of the rope by stopping and kneeling. You too can conquer difficult situations and challenging circumstances by relying on God and by stopping and kneeling, to break “the rhythm of the rope.” When life moves in the wrong direction… Stop and Kneel, it will break the opposing rhythms, while walking the tightrope called life!