| Over The Edge |
identification, map reading and whole pile of other stuff that I have long since forgotten. But, the one experience I will never forget, was repelling down the side of a cliff. My gut was in knots as I stood on the edge. The instructor assured me that the rope would hold, but all I could think of were the rocks at the bottom. I slowly let the rope out, so that I tipped out over the edge and past the point of no return. Then down I went. As I worked my way down the cliff, my confidence started to build. I went a little bit faster and eventually I tried bouncing down the cliff, just like in the movies. When I reached the bottom, I was thrilled and wanted to go back up and do it again. Faith is like repelling down a cliff. At some point we just have to trust God and step off the edge. The Bible says that God will hold us, but until we actually entrust ourselves to Him, we won't experience it. Then, as we take that journey of faith, we gain confidence in our walk with God. We start to move faster. We take greater risks. Our trust goes deeper and our faith builds. Now, the journey isn't always easy. There are obstacles and setbacks. Earlier that day, climbing up the cliff was not a high point (excuse the pun) of my week. But, as we journey in faith, there is always progress. There are at least two barriers that we face when asked to step off the cliff of faith. The first is taking the initial step over the edge. Can the rope be trusted? Can we trust God? I could have turned down the opportunity to repel off the cliff - others did that day. Earlier, I had a bunch of rocks land on me during a climbing exercise. Why should I think that repelling was going to go better than climbing. Also, the program I was going to be teaching had nothing to do with going up and down cliffs. I didn't need to repel down a cliff to accomplish my purposes. Unfortunately, most people never begin their journey with Christ, because either they are afraid to trust Him, or they don't see a reason why they should give their lives to Christ. The second barrier comes when adversity gets in the way. I have to confess, that I gave up on rock climbing that day. When the rocks started coming down on me, I didn't trust my helmet and I put my arm over my head. The falling rocks did a real number on my arm. That was enough to turn me off of rock climbing, but by not climbing the cliff, I lost out on a great experience. It is easy to get discouraged when something goes wrong, or doesn't turn out the way we would like, or we mess up, or when the problems seem too big. A lot of people who step over the edge of faith scramble right back up the cliff, because of adversity. They lose heart and give up part way through the journey. The apostle Paul compares our life with Jesus to a race. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last for ever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 There is no way I could have experienced the thrill and satisfaction of accomplishment I felt, if I hadn't stepped off the edge of the cliff that day. I trusted the instructor and the rope I was dangling from. And, there is no way we can experience the blessings, accomplishments and thrills of traveling with God unless we step off the edge of the cliff of faith. We have to trust God and that He will keep His promises written in the Bible. Kevin, HSMM |
| JESUS IS LORD |
| Heaven's Saints M/M Windsor Ontario Canada |
| “All scripture passages are NIV unless otherwise noted.” |
