"Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus."

Matt 14:29 NIV

 I forgot that I was terrified of heights. That little fact could have come in handy when I was walking across a rope bridge suspended 15 feet in the air.

 Frozen with fear had a whole new meaning as fellow climbers patiently waited for me to release my death grip from the last metal beam within reach.

 We were on a family excursion at Skyhike, Stone Mountain Park's newest attraction. Described on Stone Mountain's Web site www.stonemountainpark.com as the nation's largest family adventure course, we strapped on our harnesses and proceeded to climb four stories.

So there I was. I was the last one in our group to go. As I stepped on the bridge I thought, "Don't look down. Feet, don't fail me now."

That didn't work. I had to look. Bad idea. Every move caused me to swing. Suddenly, I looked up.

 Twenty feet in front of me stood a young girl, apparently one of the attraction's employees. Quietly, she said, "You can do it. Just keep your eyes on me."

 "Can I turn around, please? Can I just climb down?" I begged.

 "You really can do it. Trust me. Keep your eyes on me," she encouraged.

 So, I let my feet slide as they felt their way. I looked right at her.

 "Don't go until I get over to you, please." I pleaded.

 "I'm not going anywhere. This is what I do," she replied.

 I shoved my feet forward. Sliding inch by painful inch, I moved forward. Although it only took minutes, it seemed like hours.

 Finally, I reached her.

 "Whew! I made it"

 "Yes, you did. Now you can do anything!" she said.

 After I reached that point, I looked around and noticed that the rest of the track looked doable.

 People behind me included an array of those who walked and almost skipped across their path, as well as, folks who slowed down to a crawl.

 How like Peter we were. Eager to jump out and try this challenge, we bought our tickets. When Peter saw Jesus out on the water, he was the same way. Just tell me to come and I will, he said. Peter immediately jumped out.

 Did he check for any safety standards? Did he watch anyone succeed before him? How deep was that water? And he stepped out. He did because he was so excited to see Jesus.

 But then, just like the rest of us, he looked down. He must have been amazed when he realized what he was doing. He might have mistakenly thought that he was doing this great feat on his own power.

 He took his eyes off Jesus. But Jesus pulled him up.