Leaping Over Walls

 For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall. Psalm 18:29

Recently, a neighbor asked the question of a group of us of whether or not we had backyard fences when we were children, and how that might have shaped our thinking in any way. I felt it was a delightful and thought-provoking query and didn’t have to think long at all to come up with my own answer. (Likely, a few nostalgic memories will quickly cross your own mind as you read this.) 

I grew up in El Paso, TX where rock walls are common. Rock quarried from the mountain range that runs through the middle of the city is far more plentiful than trees in my desert hometown. Most neighborhoods have these solid fences, composed of large stones cemented into place, separating properties. For me, our stone backyard walls provided a sense of security when I played alone or with friends when I was small. Our backyards were havens where innocent childhood games were safely played within those protective barriers. They also served to keep our beloved family dogs from running off.

I was a rather timid child, but my friends were all of a more adventurous nature. As we grew from preschoolers and kindergarteners into daring grade schoolers, my chums insisted we learn to walk along the peaked tops of these fences seeing how long we could go before we lost our balance and fell. Also, in order not to be left behind, I had to learn to rapidly scale the rock walls by finding the least precarious toehold to boost myself up high enough to cling to the top and pull myself up. I can still feel the sting of the cement digging into my palms. By climbing up and over, our boundaries expanded exponentially, and the world of freedom was ours! We’d gleefully cross over other neighbors’ yards to wander wherever we pleased.

Due to these exploits with childhood pals, I learned to persevere despite my natural anxious tendencies. I learned to challenge myself beyond that which I feel I am capable. And I learned that no human-made boundary can keep me from wonderful, amazing adventures! These lessons have served me well as a missionary, and even today, as the obstacles to a proposed mission trip feel insurmountable some days, I remember the lessons of my childhood rock walls. With God, nothing is impossible!