What is your Parachute?

Well its been a fair period since I wrote, but I think due to my title you understand where I may go with today’s post. \\

Let me start with this, I recently went to a music festival called Parachute which is held every year at Mystery Creek in Hamilton New Zealand and I simple loved it, just like last year it was a great kick start for the new year and I left refreshed and motivated to get closer to God, not long after however I needed a new car, in the purchase of a car I was familiar with for a very decent price I felt great. However it is evident now that I began to lose my focus on God. Just last night I managed to crash this car, the same way as last time by taking my eyes off the road for 2 maybe even 1 second and then not braking whilst doing so. You do the math.

I’ll be frank and honest, it was a massive shock to my system and I felt like a complete failure, after the financial hole the last incident burnt in me I promised myself I wouldn’t do it again but in all of this I am trying to keep in mind Romans 8;28 in knowing that I love God and therefore all things that happen to me or around me work for good. It was hard and to be blunt I was doubting God that he would work this for good and in actuality its only been one day I do not know how he is going to work this whole situation for my good but I know this. God wants me to simplify my life, my life that is cluttered with so much media, so much materialisation, so much technology, so much money, so much anger all around me. Just so much added things that do nothing but kill time and this I believe is the initial reason for my second crash. I’m not going to lie I'm still very gutted and feel like a failure but I’m doing my utmost to leave it at God’s feet and ‘take on the yolk of Jesus, for his burden is light’ (can someone remind me what scripture that is? Its been in my head but no idea where to look for it in the NT)

During Parachute I began to get a glimpse of why it was named so, all the bands there, all the staff and crew that make this event happen all have one parachute that is their saving grace, that is Jesus. And as I offload on my notes on my Ipod I begin to think about what our parachutes are in life? I saw a sunrise for the first time in a long time while at parachute and it was stunning and after worship on Sunday night I could not help but think of the song ‘this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine’ because I came to a firmer realisation of my light that I carry. As well as the depth of darkness that some people live in and I began to think of how I need to let my own light shine into their darkness so that they can share my parachute that is Jesus and land safely.

I know what its like to not land safely, the crash and fall in life and emotionally it hurts probably as much as literally falling of a roof (not to mention that happened to me yesterday also, came far too close to breaking my neck) I can relate to people when they talk of how life is crap, how no matter how hard they try they always seem to end up sad and alone at the end of the day. I can understand the pain people feel when they feel like every relationship they get into they have their heart broken. I know the emptiness that comes along with drug abuse (including alcohol) the sad sad need for a temporary fix only to see your whole life falling, with no Parachute. I have had the parachute of alcohol, I have had the parachute of following the crowd, I have had the parachute of depression in hope of people loving me, I have had the parachute of relationships. They all had holes and didn’t break my fall at the end of the day.

My question to you today is what is your Parachute in life? I seem to be ending these things a lot recently with challenges and questions to the reader but hey change is good. So take this seriously, observe your own life personally and ask yourself, what parachutes have I tried? Which have failed? Which have worked? I can tell you with complete confidence the only reason I’m not dwelling in self pity and depression the very day after my second crash is because I have the parachute of Jesus.

I pray that God will continue to simplify my life and that he may give you the same parachute I now carry.


Grace and Peace be with you.