What thrill captures your heart?
A guy walks on a metal wire. Barefoot. Between two mountain peaks. Thousands of miles above sea level. He makes it across where three assistants await him. One of them grabs and pulls him onto the mountain as he steps off the tension wire. The latest video online that’s captivated a huge audience. 10, 489,997 views as of 9/29/2018. Originally uploaded on 9/21/2018. Eight days, 10.5 million views.
The view atop those mountains leaves one breathless and terrified. Without a balancing pole, harness, or safety net. Nothing above to increase his moment of inertia. Nothing underneath to counter his fall. What if an unexpected current of wind screams by? What if his foot missteps? What if his concentration lapses for .005 millisecond?
External events can scare him off. Internal stress can shake his insides apart. A gamut of potential factors can startle him to stumble.
What is the price for the thrill of walking on a thin wire across two mountain peaks?
One mistake. His life.
How much is your life worth?
Jesus thought your life was worth His death on the cross, worth the humiliation, punishment, and suffering of the crucifixion. “I give myself as a sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.” (John 18:19)
Jesus traded His life for your life. That’s how much He thought your life was worth.
Jesus staying in Heaven with His Father would have been easier, but coming to earth to live among His people, ministering to them, and meeting with their humanity was God’s greater, divine plan. “For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me.” (John 6:39)
Jesus traded Heaven for you. That’s how much He thought your life was worth.
Yet we struggle with the idea that our life has value, not just to God, but to other people and to ourselves. We have a cloudy picture of why we exist, our significance in life, and why we don’t feel more alive.
Consequently, many of us walk precariously on that wire every day.
Some of us are trying to cross that wire as fast as we can without falling…just to get to the other side…just to make it through the day. We try not to look down or around because we are in survival mode.
Some of us are seeking to discover thrills to make us feel more fulfilled. We seek out endeavors that may be risky, in return for pleasureable gain.
Some of us follow that wire because we follow the crowd. If other people are doing it, then we don’t want to be left behind. The idea that we might miss out on something BIG drives us to emulate others, even to our detriment.
Finally, some of us choose that wire because we think there’s no other choice. Because we believe the lie from the enemy. That the thrill the thin wire offers is all there is to life.
So we walk on that thin wire. To survive, to get that ultimate thrill, to find meaning.
But eventually, the thrill isn’t so exciting or satisfying anymore. We’ve pursued goals that weren’t really good for us, relationships not really healthy for us, and happiness that never delivered. That left us jaded, empty, disappointed, and even more lonely than before.
The temporal exhilaration of crossing a tensioned wire between two mountains was never meant to last. No earthly thrill ever does. And the loss of life, too great of a price.
Jesus traded his life for yours. Jesus traded Heaven for you. He thought your life was worth that much, and so much more. He offers life, and life lived abundantly in truth. Because when Jesus came down from Heaven, He bought a little bit of Heaven with Him so we can taste what the Ultimate Thrill will be. “I have come so that they may have life, life to its fullest measure.” (John 10:10)
The greatest thrill to ever capture your heart? Walking with Jesus. Knowing you have purpose, are significant, and forever loved, and that God believes you are worthy of life. This is the greatest thrill of all.
Don’t settle for the cheap thrills. Choose the Real Thrill.