As an employee of the WildPlay Element Parks and Bungy Zone, it was recommended that you bungy jump forward, backwards and get dipped into the Nanaimo River so that you can understand and appreciate why customers were terrified walking up the steep stairs to the top of the bungy bridge. After all, they just spent $100 to do this adrenaline rush of an activity.

On some of my first days as a new bridge crew worker at WildPlay, my knees would buckle walking up the steep stairs because I am actually quite terrified of heights. I would get on all fours and start crawling up to the top. My fear of heights includes airplanes and helicopters like I wrote about in my last blog. I especially dislike flying in small aircraft. The low roof, jam packed with people and the fire exit at the back of the plane. Forget it!

During the duration of my employment at WildPlay, I ended up bungy jumping seven times. I think I did 3 jumps in one day actually. Every jump I did, I requested to be dipped in the river up to my waist. I jumped backwards once too. That was a nightmare coming to reality. You know those dreams when you are falling and then JOLT out of your sleep? Well that’s what jumping backwards is like. The bridge master gets you to stand on the ledge facing backwards. He holds onto a small rope, and you hold onto the end. He then asks you to lean back and then he gently lets go as you fall into a vast space.

I overcame a great fear during that summer and I would bungy jump again in a heart beat if the opportunity came up.

For those of you who follow my blog, I know that I write a lot about my time working with Christian Surfers in JBay, South Africa. Christian Surfers is still very close to our hearts. Andy and I even started up a Vancouver Island chapter before we had kids. Things were going well until babies came along and our focus was divided. We are still in contact with the Christian Surfers National Director of Canada. Both her and I day dream a lot together with how CS could look in Canada and on Vancouver Island. It’s a very unique surfing culture and unlike most places where Christian Surfers is established, our journey to surf is long, sometimes dark to get there early. And most times, COLD! I feel like my arms hurt by just squeezing into my wetsuit ! It’s quite a mission.

This blog post is about the freedom that Christ brings through his death on the cross. About the freedom that came to humanity on Good Friday. The chains and bondage of death was released that day when Jesus cried out “IT IS FINISHED”. Our sins are forever forgiven and we now have an eternity in Heaven with Jesus because of that amazing act. Selfless act. A free gift of everlasting life! No one can take away or argue a personal testimony of the experience felt by Christs unconditional love. I come to Him every morning feeling like I failed the day before. Constantly crawling to Him and saying I’m sorry, forgive me of those thoughts I had yesterday. But all I hear is “This is a new day, My mercies are new EVERY DAY! You are loved, you are forgiven. Let’s walk together. Grab my hand Sarah. Lift your head. Keep going. I love you. I love you. I love you.”

Let’s go back to when I recognized God as the Almighty, my Saviour. When I felt I fully surrendered my life to Him, to live my life in worship to His goodness. I was 8 years old at a week long church camp. As I was running down the path in the forest, I stopped to look up to the top of the trees. I saw the leaves blowing with the wind and a strong presence came over me. Somehow I knew that Jesus and God weren’t just a story my parents told me. He wasn’t the cartoon picture in my children’s bible anymore. He was real and He wanted me! He wanted to show me His love that day. During chapel that night, I remember opening my bible to read Luke 15 as a group about the prodigal son. At that point, it wasn’t just a book anymore. It was TRUTH. I remember holding my bible differently after that. I remember feeling overwhelmed that God became something WAY bigger to me that day. He became my absolute almighty- slightly terrifying, but gentle at the same time. 8 years old. My life CHANGED forever! No one can argue that personal experience with a loving Father who welcomed His prodigal son back after blatantly choosing a wild life of riches and pleasures rather than the never ending abundant blessings from a Father.

Fast forward now to what this blog is about. The release of fear and bondage. The significance of Good Friday and Jesus’ death on the cross. When I went to Jeffrey’s Bay in 2013 to work with Christian Surfers, I was still terrified of surfing but I loved it. I was just crippled with this fear and I couldn’t get past a certain point in my surfing. There seemed to be a mental block. I was extremely frustrated because both Andy and I felt that we were called into this ministry.

On a sunny afternoon, the entire Christian Surfers group decided to surf at a break called “Magnas”. I paddled out with everyone. The water was crystal clear, the waves were glassy, 3-4ft perfect swell. I was out with all of my girlfriends in the group and everyone was catching waves. Except me. I just kept paddling past the backline and I was frozen with fear. There was nothing in particular that I was afraid of. I told Andy that I can’t do this anymore and he told me that it was my choice and it’s fine if I choose not to surf anymore.

I paddled back to the shore and I felt so defeated, so discouraged and very confused as to why I was even here. For a couple of days I stayed at home while everyone went out for their “dawny” surf sessions and read my bible and prayed. I asked God why I was even here. I was so frustrated that I couldn’t surf. Frustrated that there was this incredible fear hanging over me and I couldn’t even pin what it was. God highlighted Psalm 121 and I wrote it onto a paper and pinned it beside my bed. I meditated on it day and night. I memorized it.

“I look up to the mountains- does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made Heaven and Earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day; nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.”

I think a week went by that I didn’t surf in the mornings or at all. I was just very confused as to why I was so crippled with fear. Continuing to meditate on PSALM 121, a friend of ours asked Andy and I to house sit for them while they went out of town for Easter long weekend. This meant a bit of a break from the full house. We got some alone time together. Andy wanted to go for a surf first thing on Good Friday morning. He said… why don’t you give surfing one more try and if you really don’t feel comfortable with it after this, then don’t bother again. I agreed.

We always pray before our toes touch the water. This time I just asked God to release fear from me and to help me overcome. We thanked Him for dying on the cross for our sins and giving us freedom and then we paddled out. My heart was beating so fast and I was still quite nervous. We got to the backline and the set was on the horizon. I took a couple of breaths and I felt God say “Catch the wave and I’ll do the rest”. I paddled for the first wave of the set and I felt the water pushing my board up and the power of the wave locked my board in place as I jumped to my feet. The feeling was unbelievable- I felt God instilling the confidence in me by the second. I started to maneuver on the wave, turning up and coming down and straight lining. I was SURFING!!!!!!!!!!! I was actually surfing the face of the wave and there is no feeling quite like it. That day, there was a bondage broken and fear replaced by a confidence. REALLY KNOWING that my life is in Gods hands. “Catch the wave and I’ll do the rest”. He certainly did do the rest. You couldn’t get me out of the water after that Good Friday in 2013. I bailed in some pretty big waves and I paddled out in some intense stormy seas… but I wasn’t scared anymore! Chains were broken!

My 4 year old daughter Bethany has had her training wheels on for months after she was biking with no training wheels all last summer. It was like she went backwards and stayed there. Fear came over her and I was so sad to see her confidence shaken. I was trying to figure out how to take her training wheels off and encourage her to try to ride her bike without them but I couldn’t think of anything. Until Good Friday came around this year- an idea came to my mind that I would take her to the hockey court at the nearby school grounds and let her try there. I would help her of course.

We took our time and I held onto her bike seat as she stabilized and OFF SHE WENT after a couple of tries. Not turning back to training wheels. I was reminded that there was a fear released on Good Friday for me 7 years ago and I realized that there was a fear released in her spirit too. There is an incredible significance of Good Friday. Chains are broken because of what Christ did on the cross.

I’ve been wanting to write this blog for a long time to share my personal testimony of the freedom in Christ. Big or small… those things that hold us back subtly, Jesus wants to breakthrough and bring us into a full life of joy and adventure!