Heart and Soul:Defying the Odds

Fort Saskatchewan Life Church Pastor, Bill Olsen

I stood at the starting gate, eying the course that was set below me, mentally calculating time, distance, and speed. Is this even possible? No one I had ever known had ever made an attempt of this magnitude! The engineers had studied the approach well, made minor adjustments to the the ramp. I needed to hit the bottom at just the right speed, and time my body positions perfectly if I was to land properly… but, I’d never done anything this huge ever before! So nervous, full of anticipation.

I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my body and had to control my breathing so as to not be overcome by fear. On the other hand, a healthy sort of fear was okay… one needs to respect all that could go wrong during a jump like this one!

If I landed wrong, I could be crippled for the rest of my life. Again, I took my time, and recalculated my moves… I was ready! It was a warm, sunny afternoon on a late spring day… absolutely perfect. A huge crowd had gathered, and everyone was taken aback at the sight before them. “What kind of a person would try something like this?” I was giving them a show they would talk about for years!

I kept pretty much to myself during those years, although known by many, this was beyond expectation, making the “shock and awe factor” even more worthwhile. I loved every minute of it!

The warm sun hit my face out of the south western sky, accompanied by a quiet breeze. Really nothing to be concerned about. If anything, it made the jump more exciting, obtaining slightly more lift as a result. I checked my helmet once more and adjusted my goggles. It was time.

“Ladies and Gentlemen…What you’ve been waiting for, The One, the only.!” At the sound of thundering applause, I‘m focused, heart rate increasing in anticipation, the gate is released and I rocket down the course at death-defying speed. Everything was on target, but then, there was too much speed…should I brake slightly?

Okay… careful… the ramp is fast approaching… good grief! look at the size of that sucker! Maybe a practice run should have taken place first. “Oh Lord in Heaven, rescue me from what I’m about to do!”

I hit the ramp fast on my 1962 Triumph Custom Coaster bicycle, and before I could produce another thought, was gloriously soaring through earth’s lower atmosphere at close to sound-barrier speed! The flight seemed to last for minutes although a second and a half was the truth! And then, I was struck with horror… I didn’t lean back far enough when I hit the ramp!

Now I was plummeting back to terra firma with my front wheel pointing straight down. This is going to be a disaster! I prayed for mercy one more time. “I’m going to die, and I just got my new watch… oh man, this is bad!” And then a miracle took place. I landed directly on my front wheel, and the bike remained perfectly straight. I teetered on that front wheel for an eternity before the rear of the bike settled back on the machine, which came to a gentle stop completely unscathed.

I’ll never forget the euphoria that came over me as my 10-year-old buddy and I laughed at how spectacular this jump worked out, and how we couldn’t wait to race back up the hill and do it again. Although the crowds that day were only in my 10-year-old imagination, and the jet propulsion was the work of my own doing, no one could ever take away the fact that I survived a 20 inch jump at a trillion miles per hour, landing only on my front wheel and lived to tell about it. What an incredible day it was!

I’m sure that Jesus Himself was on the sidelines cheering me on as I tried something that mocked fear and defied death, both of which He had accomplished on the cross for us. God, Himself will put things in our path to test our character so that we can know what can truly be done, even when it appears to be a disaster sometimes. The Bible says, He makes a way out for us. He’ll never test us beyond what we can handle. He loves us, and cheers us on, and covers us with His grace. even when we’re 10 year old kids! Have a great week!