"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." – Psalm 23:4
If you watched the Discovery channel on Sunday night this past weekend I'm sure you were sitting at the edge of your seat, waiting in anticipation to see if tightrope walker, Nik Wallenda, would make it across the Grand Canyon. Nik Wallenda is famous for doing these dangerous high-wire stunts along with the rest of his family. He is a descendant of the daredevil stunt performers known as the "Flying Wallendas." He lives in Sarasota, FL with his family near the Ringling Circus where he practices for these events.
Although I have never met Nik or his family I have been to Sarasota several times to visit the Ringling Museum. They have beautiful artistic masterpieces there, to include my one of my favorite paintings known as The Blue Madonna by the Italian artist Carlo Dolci. The Ringling Museum is most definitely my favorite part about going there. Also, Sarasota is a very gorgeous city right near the water! I can attest to the fact that Nik is very blessed to live with his family in such a beautiful Floridian area.
Nevertheless, no matter where he may be, Nik always keeps himself grounded in prayer as he performs these major hire-wire stunts. Last year I saw him on TV as he crossed the Niagara Falls from the United States into Canada. That was quite a risky endeavor. However, I noticed Nik seemed to keep calm as he muttered the praises of Jesus along the way.
In his recent tightrope walk Nik crossed the Grand Canyon much the same way as he did over Niagara—but this time he was even more vocal about calling to the Lord for guidance and strength. He thanked Jesus, our Lord and Savior, over 60 times as he walked to the other side. Watching his body language, I could tell he seemed to be much more uneasy with this walk compared to his others in the past. Maybe he felt more uncomfortable since he was standing on a 2-inch wire that swayed in the turbulent winds at about 1,500 feet over the Grand Canyon! Although he seemed to be very unsettled by the situation he was in, Nik kept praising God the entire time. He remained focused and unafraid as long as he kept his thoughts and prayers on Jesus.
This reminds me of the story of Jesus walking on the water. When Peter had seen Jesus standing on the ocean waves, in the middle of the storm, he got out of the boat and started walking towards Him. But at the very moment he lost eye contact with Jesus his thoughts shifted away from the Lord and he became frantic—starting to sink into the sea. Then Jesus reached down and pulled him back up, saying, "You of little faith. Why did you doubt?"
In comparison, Nik Wallenda also battled the elements of the major winds coming up from the Grand Canyon, much like Peter did in the storm. However, Nik never lost complete concentration on Jesus. His entire walk was a constant prayer. Even when the wind became too much for him to handle he knelt down to regain his balance on the wire. He did this several times to ensure his safety and trusted that the Lord would get him across to the other side. Being human, I could tell that he seemed worried at times...but it was at those moments when he called out to Jesus more.
Just as my sister said the other day, "Nik Wallenda crossed the Grand Canyon! Truly an incredible testimony for faith in God and how dreams do come true." The point is, he never gave up when it was hard, he never quit on his dreams, and he never stopped believing that Jesus would come trough for him. He is a great example of total trust and surrender to God. His family even prayed together beforehand for his strength and protection.
I am so happy that he followed his dreams of walking across the Grand Canyon and gave witness to Jesus Christ in this modern-day world. Millions of people across the globe watched him that night! It is truly remarkable to the reaction people gave him in being so outspoken with his faith. Nik even got #Jesus trending worldwide on Twitter that night. What a blessing for so many people to see the miracle of this man walking 1,500 feet above the Grand Canyon and making it to the other side alive and unharmed! How incredible!?
It just goes to show that we can get through anything if we trust in the Lord Jesus. He is there for us, always watching, with every little step we take. We just need to be more aware of His presence.
With that said, I want to leave you with a recent message from Our Lady of Medjugorje. She always calls us to draw nearer to God. I truly believe, like Nik Wallenda, that is what we must do with our lives. Everyday we live is a new opportunity to draw closer to God. One day we will get there when we reach the gates of Heaven, but we always have an opportunity to strengthen our relationship with Him each passing day. Also, we must help our other brothers and sisters in Christ along the way to the path of salvation as we go through our own journey.
On June 25th 2013, the 32nd Anniversary of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Medjugorje, the Blessed Mother Mary said:
"Dear children! With joy in the heart I love you all and call you to draw closer to my Immaculate Heart so I can draw you still closer to my Son Jesus, and that He can give you His peace and love, which are nourishment for each one of you. Open yourselves, little children, to prayer—open yourselves to my love. I am your mother and cannot leave you alone in wandering and sin. You are called, little children, to be my children, my beloved children, so I can present you all to my Son. Thank you for having responded to my call."
