What I learned from SkyDiving

"In him [Jesus] was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:4-5

I had been wanting to go skydiving for several months. Throughout the summer, I planned on doing it for my birthday, but I wasn't really sure that I would follow through with it.

So the day came. I was terrified before I got on that plane, and I kept thinking "What the heck am I doing?" But during the ride up in the air, I was surprisingly calm. I think I realized that this was going to happen whether I liked it or not and there really was no turning back because the instructor was going whether I wanted to or not.

So I did it, and yes it was fun. Really scary, yes, but fun.

Afterward, after the adrenaline had worn off and I was driving back home, I got to thinking. For one thing, I thought, "What the heck was I thinking?" But then as everything else that I had put off dealing with came back into my life in waves, I realized something. My life is not about a series of events or thrills. It is not skydiving that gives me the abundant life that I so desperately long for. Nothing I desire in this world -not relationships, job security, education, adventures - makes my life worth living. Even though they are good desires, my life cannot be found in any of those things. They will never give me total fulfillment or satisfaction, and if I expect them to, I'm only setting myself up for a painful failure.

Yes, Skydiving was a thrill, an adrenaline rush. But eventually the freefall ends (way sooner than I wanted it to. When did 60 seconds go by so fast?), and you find yourself back to the everyday life. If my life is merely chasing one thrill or one pleasure after another, I will never find complete satisfaction in anything. My life does not consist of the things that I amass in this world, the experiences that I have, the places that I go, or even the relationships that I maintain. These things are incredibly important to me, but rather, the ultimate life is found in Jesus Christ.

God knows I love adventure and trying new things. I love people, and I long for strong and lasting relationships. God has given me those passions and desires, but, ultimately, my every desire and my every passion must first of all have their foundation in Him, or they will not satisfy. They were not created to satisfy the longing in our souls. There is only One who can.

But even still . . . skydiving was totally fun!