So there I was, in beautiful Baytown Wharf and one of my six daughters (yes, you read that correctly) says that she and her two friends want to ride the zip-line across the lake and back. Sounds cool to me, so I’m thinking, I might want to do that too.
After witnessing a few other folks zip-line, I think it wiser to allow the three girls to go. I’m so certain that the harness would have left some significant damage from the permanent wedgie it could have given me. Sorry, back to the story…$57 later I’m watching, on the safety of terra firma, when the first of the three musketeers go off the platform.
It’s a little creepy. You run off the end of a perfectly good platform into open space and trust that the harness and the line will hold you up, and carry you across. I bailed out because of the aforementioned wedgie and because of the certainty that at my weight, I could just stop and get stuck in the middle, oh well.
All three girls just jump right off like it’s no big deal and I wondered – is that what God desires us to do as we follow Him? Does He desire us to simply run to where He calls us, jump off of our little human safety platforms and trust that He will both keep us from falling and get us where He desires us - safely?
Well yeah, Psalm 121:1-8 promises me of His protection and He promises to never leave me. So why is it that I struggle so much to run and jump? The answer - PRIDE. At the end of the day, we all tend to trust US more than we tend to trust God. Isn’t it interesting how we can trust our Lord for eternity but not for money? Isn’t it interesting that we trust God for Heaven, but not for relationships? Isn’t it heartbreaking that we can trust Jesus for forgiveness, but not for our daily needs?
The lesson I learned, and trust that you will too, is that God longs for us to answer His call by running and leaping off the platform, knowing He will faithfully harness us and deliver us through this very cool adventure. It’s good to remind ourselves that He is the real, hardcore adventurer and He calls us to join Him on His great expedition.
May you run and leap into the goodness and safety of the One who made you, loves you and provides for you - today. May your journey be filled with adventure and joy as you leap off into His calling in your life…whatever and wherever that may be.
Peace, Chuck
www.bigchuckallen.com
