The ice-cold water rushed past me, and I wanted to move but my legs were stuck.
Like really stuck.
I could not feel my legs seconds after I was submerged in the icy, spring-fed Falls.
Upon scampering up this waterfall with my kids one summer while my husband was in another state taking a class, I channeled my younger, more adventurous, former ice & rock-climbing self, and probably took some risks I maybe shouldn’t have while vacationing without my partner and found myself in a position I could not get out of.
And I was alone.
I mean, my kids were nearby exploring the falls and the various inlets dozens of feet above me. And there were onlookers at the swimming hole below who were taking pictures of the falls and enjoying the view.
No one could tell I was in trouble.
The dread washed over me faster than the icy, rushing river water.
I was facing the impossible.
My fiercely independent self…. Rendered helpless in the face of an even more fierce foe: nature.
Faced with what seemed like an unsolvable problem, the panic had an opportunity to take hold. But as I sat there, and said a prayer, I chose faith over fear, and problem-solving over panic. I gave myself a pep talk and thought through all the ways I could solve for this without slipping down the falls and breaking my neck. It would be tricky, but I was certain, after extensive examination of the situation, that I could do it.
And so, I did.
I slowly dislodged my legs. First the right leg as it was how I was going to brace myself on the ledge above. I contorted my body, swinging my right leg to the rocky ledge and dislodging my left leg and hoisting myself up unto the ledge with my arms while scraping my entire body in the process.
It was not pretty. Or graceful.
But I managed to get myself up and to safety and rest there while my legs thawed before I began the slow steady climb back to a trail that led me out of the Falls.
And then the laughter began. The joy of overcoming. The relief of it being over. Already recounting the story in my head to my husband and friends. Joy, relief, and pride for having been relentless in my pursuit of a solution that seemed impossible.
At Life on Belay one of our core values is rigorous exploration – the type of relentless problem-solving that requires grit and determination, fortitude, and wisdom. Even when we are seemingly “stuck” we choose to dig deeper and seek out solutions.
Every day with Life on Belay, I am inspired by the grit and determination within each of our team members as we face the giants of impossibility in our work for the Kingdom.
And every day I am reminded of the me with the frozen legs facing the impossible and I know that I was made to overcome.
And every single day I am reminded that grit and determination, coupled with faith and grace make everything possible.
What “impossible” thing have you accomplished lately?
Stuck… Like Really Stuck
