A Leap of Faith

I have heard the sermon illustration of a father in a pool, calling to his child, "Jump in! I'll catch you!" I've always thought that was a great picture of our trust in God.

Or the illustration of falling backward into someone's arms, believing that they will catch you.

Or the illustration of the man crossing Niagara Falls who called out, "Who believes I can cross this wire carrying a man on my shoulders?" The crowd cheered. "Who will be the first to let me carry him across?" The crowd was silent. The crickets chirped. True faith would have been a brave soul raising his hand to volunteer.

Those are all really wonderful examples of trust in God. Each one has drawn an "amen" from my heart and/or lips. But living that out is really tough, isn't it?

Our family is at one of those "who will be the first..." moments in our journey. We have walked away from so much that was familiar, and are now walking toward what is not so familiar. We are walking into unknown territory, with God leading the way, step by step, saying, "Trust Me! I'll catch you!"

Last night, we attended the memorial service of a dear woman named Cindy. She passed away last week, at the very young age of 53. Her family is walking in a new time of learning to trust Him to fill the void Cindy's death leaves behind. Just as the daddy in the picture above, I know He will hold this family closely, "catching" them each time they leap into His arms.

While at the service, we were reunited with friends from our past. All of us have taken a different path since last we met. Yet all of us share a strong faith that God has a new place for our lives. It is no longer a shared journey, in many ways. And yet we are all still one in the bond of His love and through the blood of Christ.

God calls us all to take a leap of faith. I don't know what you're facing today, but I know He can be trusted. He will always take you safely to the next place of His choosing--in His way and in His time. But He will always catch you.