When I was in high school we used to go up to Azusa Canyon (SOCAL) and swim in the San Gabriel River (east fork).
One spot was really neat because the river backed up, forming a huge, deep pool of water. On one of those hot, summer swim-days my buddy Jim and I were swimming in this pool.
We both noticed a high cliff that resembled one of those Hawaiian high-diver cliffs — and we both got the same idea: “Let’s climb up there and jump off!”
So we swam over to the bottom of this cliff and started to climb up. We had to climb over a lot of sharp, jagged rocks but we finally made it to a spot that looked perfect for jumping off — about 30 feet up. When we turned around and looked down we were horrified! Not only did 30 feet seem like 130, but we had been climbing up at an angle! The only way to clear all those jagged rocks would be to leap out as hard as we could!
We couldn’t climb back down (too steep/treacherous). Also, bear in mind: Heights are not my specialty! So, we just sat there, petrified. Jim and I both noticed that the more we f o c us e d on the height, incline, and the rocks the more frozen with fear we became.
Knowing there would be no rescue attempts, we had to jump. The only way we could muster up the needed courage was to change our focus from the height, incline, and the rocks to the deep, beautiful pool of water below.
Also, I had an advantage over Jim in that I at least had some basic knowledge of God and His presence with believers — so I focused on that as well. It took some time, but eventually I went for it — and pushed out as hard as I could with Jimmy right behind. And guess what? We were both killed in the fall… Actually, we survived — then climbed up and did it again!
I learned something that day: Focus is everything! That’s a life lesson worth learning early on: Outlook determines outcome; attitude determines altitude! It’s a life-lesson the Apostle Paul mastered — and fleshed out for us in his letter to the Philippians! (Consider reading this marvelous letter to learn how you too can develop a positive life-outlook!). As someone has wisely put it: “Focus is literally your key to stripping everything of its power.”