Did you know that the steepest
street in the world is found in Dunedin, New Zealand? The street is named
Baldwin St., after William Baldwin who subdivided the area. He must have been
quite a steep guy!
The incline is 161.2 meters in length, climbing a
vertical height of 47.22 meters. This results in an average gradient of 1 to
3.41, with the steepest section having a gradient of 1 to 2.86 (19 degrees or
35%).
In more understandable terms, the street rises from 30
meters above sea level to 100 meter above sea level in 70.6 meters. Quite steep
don't you think? I sure wouldn't want to drive my rental car down (or up!)
that
street!
But what do people do with such a steep street?
You wouldn't believe the many activities offered here.
In the summer (generally in February), during the "Baldwin Street Gutbuster"
festival, athletes compete in foot races to the top of the street and back. I
think I would prefer sliding down to running up!
In the winter (July), a huge charity event is
conducted here. About 30,000 Jaffas (spherical, candy-coated chocolates), each
sponsored by someone, are rolled down the street. The grand prize winner, the
one who's Jaffa arrives at the bottom of the street first, earns a trip overseas
(keep in mind that everything is "overseas" in New Zealand)! The kids line the
streets, devouring the non-winning Jaffas, no matter what condition they find
them in.
Then there are private entrepreneurs who do the
unthinkable, like going down the street in a chilly bin (a wheeled cooler). One
of the first daredevils to try this ended up dead, while the other one sustained
serious head injuries. Another three travelled up the street in a chilly bin
that was being pulled by a car. These three were charged with disorderly
conduct. You have to watch out for those chilly bins, if you know what I mean!
The latest daredevil rode down the street on one wheel
of his motorbike on January 2, 2010, the day after we left New Zealand.
Surprisingly, he survived the trip alive.
It's amazing how people have so many different
desires. But are all these desires
what we really want? I'm sure that most of these chilly bin daredevils regret
having even attempted such endeavors!
Jesus asks us this very question in John 1:38: "What
do you want?" NIV
What are we really looking for in life? What are our
true desires? This is a question we can't take lightly!
The only way to find this out is to set aside all of
our distractions (except the essential duties, like paying bills and drinking
our eight cups of water!), and to concentrate upon doing only what we really
desire.
I know that the thought of giving up some of the
things you have held on to for years may cause panic to invade your souls, but
take a second to listen to that sense of dread. It's trying to tell you
something. There is something beneath that terror that you need to discover.
If your emotions overwhelm you, you may need to take a
different approach: resist those indulging desires for 30 minutes longer than
you usually do, no matter where they are trying to pull you to, may it be the
fridge, the bar or the bedroom. Let that desire become more acute, but don't
give into it. Feel it, but don't let it dominate you.
Now when you are at the point of breaking, ask
yourself honestly what you are
desiring. You just might be quite astonished
what you will find out. "What I am desiring is not ________________ but
________________."
Few of us take the time to discover the "true desire"
that lies hidden beneath the desire. But the more familiar we become with our
real desires, the less prone we'll be to impostors!
Remember the Pharisees? They indulged daily in their
desire for overabundant religious activity, and their desires mummified their
true desires to the point that they couldn't even recognize God when He stood in
front of them!
"You should have as little desire for this world as a
dead person does. Your real life is in heaven with Christ and God." (Col 3:3-4
TLB)
Forget about jogging up Baldwin Street. Should I
persist with my "chilly bin" kind of ideas? Or should I indulge in those Jaffas?
Maybe one day I will win that overseas' trip I've been dreaming about ...
Rob Chaffart
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