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Spiritual Awakening

We’ve all heard stories of people rising to the occasion and doing amazing things with a little adrenalin rush. The man who somehow lifts a car to free somebody trapped beneath it at the scene of an accident moments before there is an explosion. Stories like this are pretty common, but what’s going on.

Adrenaline is a unique chemical in the body that enhances the body’s ability to perform. Imagine that you are about to board a small airplane with the intent to skydive for the first time. You’ve signed all the waivers and insurance binders, taken the ground school classes, practiced landing, and role-play scenarios. You’ve been instructed on what to do in case of emergency and understand how the equipment works. You have suited up for the jump and checked your equipment.

As you near the plane you can hear the engine running and feel the wind from the propeller. The door is open and you climb aboard. It’s a small plane, there are no seats behind the pilot’s chairs and you sit on the cold metal floor. The plane begins to taxi into position on the runway and gets clearance for take off. It slowly begins to pick up speed as it rolls and bounces down the runway, faster and faster it goes, it tips and bounces a little bit. The plane begins its accent, as you feel it leave the ground there is that instant where speed turns to flight and you are in the air.

You can feel the plane searching for wind and lift as you climb higher and higher into the air. It takes a while to climb to your jumping altitude and your anticipation is building. As the plane climbs, you feel your heart race and your breath quicken. You can see the ground fall away and your depth perception changes to where things begin to lose size.

You have reached your jumping altitude and you hear a voice from the instructor that says, “Are you ready to skydive?” The answer is yes, but you can hardly speak it as he opens the door. The sound of the wind rushing by is deafening as you move into position. You fight the wind like a child sticking his hand out the window of a moving car as you reach for a handle bar on the wing of the plane.

There is a moment when you are committed and more out of the plane than in as you maneuver onto the wing. You fight to maintain your grip as the wind tries to blow you away as you move into position. Then it is time. You must surrender your grip to the fall for it would be more dangerous to go back. One, two, three, you surrender your grip and gravity takes over.

You are falling, picking up speed as you drop from the plane, fighting for some control of your descent. You arch your back and spread your arms and legs, struggling for balance. At some point, you reach terminal velocity where your acceleration stops and you are resting on a cushion of air. This is free fall.

Adrenaline is pumping and reaching areas of your brain that only few have experienced. Adrenaline continues to pump throughout your free fall. You pull the ripcord and the chute opens to control your descent. You have a fully deployed canopy and can enjoy the rest of the exhilarating ride until you are safely back home on the ground. For days following this experience, your senses are heightened. You have acute vision, enhanced memory, calmness, and the ability for decisive critical decision-making.

Much like being in freefall, living in Gods will allows the Holy Spirit to work in you like adrenaline works in the skydiver. This is a spiritual awakening I call the awareness factor. Once you’ve experienced it, you wouldn’t want it any other way.

D. Carlson

E-Mail: info@JUMP120.com