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June2010 - Costa Rica

The windows were down, we were both quiet.  We got out of the car, and started to walk.  With each footstep we would stop and turn our heads back and forth like an oscillating fan.  Another false alarm, crap.  We walked a little farther and we both stopped at the same time and looked at each other.   We heard it, way out in the distance.  It was definitely a howler monkey!

See last summer my wife and I ventured out to Costa Rica for our Honeymoon.  There were lots of things that we knew we wanted to do out there (wink wink).  But among that long list, way near the top, was to see monkeys in the wild.  Why, I have no idea.  I just know they are much cooler to run across than squirrels.  Regardless, we know that they were pretty difficult to find the time of year we were there.  If they were around though, we could find them by their distinct noise.  Let me tell you about the howler monkey.  It is the loudest animal that isn’t in the ocean.  It’s “howl” can be heard up to 10 miles away through even dense forests.  I need you to understand that when I say the world “howl”, I also want you to know that is an extreme understatement.  Their howl sounds like a deep manly battle scream, and sounds nothing like a monkey.

When we heard it, we were pumped.  We just had to follow the noise.  So we did.  We tried to look in the direction of the shriek and walk in that direction.  But after a while hanging out in the sanctuary we found no monkeys in the wild.  After that, we retired back to our resort, and went to dinner before crashing.
The next day we decided to walk up to the lookout point at our resort up on the cliffs.  We walked all the way up, took some pictures and started heading back.  On our way back we had to cross an old suspension bridge, and right before we crossed… we heard it.  IT WAS CLOSE.  We heard the loud scream of the howler monkey.  We quickly walked forward and right in front of us on the bridge was a whole family, including a baby howler.  It was a pretty incredible sight.  After a while of standing there in awe, we took some pictures and videos and hiked back to our hotel before dark.    This leads me to my question, do you have a faith like a howler monkey?

Now of course I am not telling you to go out in the forest and with your manliest roar scream out JEEESSUSSSSSS, while beating your chest and throwing feces.  But if you do decide you want to go that route, I’ll grab my camera and check that out.  I guess the real question can be a bit more specific.  Do you have a faith that is hidden, or do you have an out-loud faith?  When someone is looking for hope, for something real, can they find you through all the “thick jungle” that they can get lost in?

I used to ask myself that question all the time.  I guess I spent a large part of my early faith being ashamed.  I was ashamed of the word Jesus, of letting non believers know my true beliefs and passion.  Then I realized something, I was hiding something pretty special.  At the same time that I was guarding my pride, I was guarding help from those who were looking for it.  I was guarding a map for those who were lost.  I was guarding a light for those in the dark, and I was possibly even guarding a better eternal path from some.

I won’t make that mistake again.  I know that the best way I will ever show my faith will be through how I live my life.  But there will always be opportunities to crack open the shell and share something real with someone.  Never be ashamed to do so, stand proud (the good kind.)

You never know when someone might be listening for you, only to stumble upon you when the timing is right, and experience something amazing.

Romans 10:14 “¹⁴ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?“

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