Living All Out

When my kids were very young, their dad would often have them stand on an elevated stair, or the side of the pool. As they balanced their precariously above him, he would tell them - "Jump! I'll catch you!" Everytime, they would stop, size him up - consider carefully - then gather their courage and make the leap - propelling themselves into the air, to be caught safely in their daddy's arms. Never once did he drop them - and never once did they refuse to jump.

I realize now what an important exercise this was for them. They put their complete trust in their daddy - knowing that he was strong, and that he would never let them down.

I think that in today's society, complete trust is very hard to come by. People disappoint, circumstances falter - things change. And there is a very heavy emphasis today that the only person you can truly depend on is yourself. For this reason, marriages fail, friendships break, and children stop speaking to their parents.

I don't disagree that it is risky to put a lot of faith into people. I know that I have let people down by my forgetfulness, or by not making things enough of a priority. And I know that I have been let down as well - sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. But, knowing whom you put your trust into is important. Knowing if the person is reliable, honest, and stands by what he says gives weight to his reliability ratio.

Is there a person worth throwing yourself off the stairs for? Is there someone that will 100% of the time, catch you and keep you safe? Not on this earth, I don't think. People are fallible. However, God is infallible. He is EXACTLY what He says he is - perfectly loving, perfectly just, perfectly righteous, perfectly worthy of trust.

Giving up our own hang ups of trust - and living by faith - putting our complete well being into the hands of the only One who is truly strong enough to handle it - is so much better than trying to manage it on our own.