I have had such a great summer! As many of you know, I have had the wonderful “job” of leading the wave runner tours at K-Kauai. Of course, I had to put job in quotation marks because how on earth could riding wave runners on beautiful Lake Taneycomo ever be considered a job?
I have loved getting to be with many of the Kauai families, and I have loved being outside in the sun (usually) and on the lake. It has been good for my soul.
I have been trying to think about what the best parts have been, and I cannot narrow it down to just one, so I want to share a few with you.
THE BALD EAGLES! I have really loved seeing the bald eagles on the lake and getting to show them to the families. There is something so majestic about the bald eagle, and I truly could just sit and watch them all day long. We have two eagle families on Taneycomo between Kamp and Rockaway Beach. They both have giant nests up in two separate dead trees right on the water and both families have a mom, a dad, and a baby. This summer we have been watching the babies learn how to fly and it has been so neat to see. One of the babies seems to fear flying because every time he starts to fly, he cries the whole way from one branch to another. My translation is, “I’m gonna die! I’m gonna die!” He likely isn’t squawking that, but that is what it sounds like to my ears. It seems to take so much courage for him to launch from one branch and he seems desperate to find the next tree to find refuge in. Mom and dad sit patiently in the Sycamores most of the day looking for fish, aware of dangers all around, and doing what eagles do. Each day I get to show them to the families, and I am so thankful that this has been a consistent part of my job.
The seemingly scared little eagle leads me to a second-best part of getting to lead the wave runner tours this summer, helping people (usually kids) overcome some of their fears. Yesterday, I had a sweet family and there was a little boy who was afraid of “going fast.” He and I got to have a darling conversation about how if you aren’t a little bit fearful, then you never get to be brave or have courage. Doing things that aren’t scary doesn’t require you to be brave, so there is nothing wrong with being a little bit afraid. I think he loved the idea of getting to be BRAVE by riding the wave runners.
God calls us to be courageous. In Joshua 1:9, Deuteronomy 31:6, Psalm 27:14, and other places, we are encouraged to be strong and courageous, to take heart, and to wait on the Lord. I love that the Bible talks about courage (and bravery) because by talking about courage, it is passively letting us know that we will have moments of fear, or moments where there is something big at stake. He isn’t calling us to be reckless, but He is inviting us to trust Him in that moment.
Maybe your “first flight” or your “wave runner” experience is just a simple next step you have been avoiding. Maybe it is forgiving someone, maybe it is a difficult conversation, maybe it is saying yes to something God has whispered to your heart. I don’t know, but TAKE HEART and remind yourself, in that small moment of fear, that you get to be brave in this moment. Don’t squawk the whole way from branch to branch but hop on that wave runner and experience the wind in your hair like that little boy did yesterday!
Jamie Jo Johnson
Alumni Engagement Director
