Wallenda Family: Nik Explains Christian Faith, Religion, And Daredevil Tightrope Stunts
For the Wallenda family, religion has become an integral part of their family over the last several generations. Nik Wallenda took the time to explain how his family views their Christian faith in relation to their daredevil careers.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the Wallenda family just finished a tightrope walk at NASCAR’s Charlotte Motor Speedway where Nik Wallenda performed with his sister, Lijana.
In the past, Nik Wallenda has discussed how his Christian family will pray together before each performance and how his faith affects his walk (literally):
“I find my peace and comfort in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So I will call out his name [during a tightrope walk]. I believe there’s a lot of power in that name. But a lot of what I do comes from training…. I believe that God has given me a very unique talent and I can use it to glorify his name…. It’s not like I’m trying to preach the word or shove the Bible down people’s throats. This is just a guy calling on God and finding his comfort and his peace.”
Before Nik Wallenda’s Grand Canyon tightrope walk he had a moment of prayer with Joel Olsteen, who is a Wallenda family friend. There was one scary moment when Nik Wallenda faced rising winds and he had to crouch at about the half-way point in order to secure his position. This is what Nik’s great-grandfather did in the moments before he fell and Nik recalls saying things like:
“Definitely whipping that cable …Golly, wind. Go away, in the name of Jesus …Thank you, Lord. Thank you for calming that cable, Lord …Oh, yeah. That’s my savior. That’s Jesus.”
Nik Wallenda says he talks to God aloud even when driving his truck. When he’s out on the tightrope cable the cameras and the microphone disappear and it’s just him, God, and the walk.
Still, Nik Wallenda does not believe “that God holds me on that wire as if I’m a puppet.” Nik Wallenda says God has given him a very unique talent that he can use to glorify God’s name. He does not believe that he’s superstitious in any fashion no does he believe that he’s “tempting God.” Even though the Wallenda family risks their lives, Nik says there is a “lot of science and a lot of engineering” to their work.
But Nik Wallenda also views the Wallenda family as having a ministry. Nik receives thousands of letters and he’s worked with cancer survivors, telling them to “call out to Jesus” and trust in God for peace. Nik actually compares his tightrope walks to the daily walk of a Christian:
“You can never become complacent. It’s kind of like our religion or beliefs. You can’t learn the Bible enough. But in a normal, perfect setting, with no wind and the wire rigged to the right tension and stabilized properly, it’s no different than walking on the ground.”
.@NikWallenda steps over his sister Lijana, on a tightrope, high above @CLTMotorSpdwy before the #BOA500.#nascar pic.twitter.com/yqRmFEi9Q1
— Harold Hinson Photo (@HHinsonPhoto) October 13, 2013
What do you think about the Wallenda family and Nik’s explanation of how his Christian religious beliefs tie into his career?
