FRONT-SLIDING FAITH
A couple of weeks ago, our kids did something they've never done before. We took them to a water park and they went on a gianormous water slide that twisted and turned and zigged and zagged down the side of a hill. The fact that they slipped and slid and slurped until we had to leave indicated that they had a GOOD time! Meantime, we and our friends whiled away the hot summer afternoon in the shade and watched.
We were a bit hesitant about letting them go because both David and Graham are still rather young eight-year-olds and not very strong in the swimming department. The concern was that they would try it and then be too afraid of the depth of the pool at the bottom of the slide. Luckily, Christian Bowyer, the thirteen-year-old son of our friends agreed to go down before David and Graham and then stay in the pool to catch them as they exited the slide.
This arrangement worked very well indeed! First, they had the comfort of parents watching and waving each time they sat down at the top; then they had Christian to catch them at the bottom. What may have been too scary a ride all alone was frolicking good fun with the attentive eyes and hands involved.
I loved watching the expressions on their faces as they traveled the last few feet of slide to the beckoning pool ahead. Both David and Graham's face would go through a split-second transformation from fun to serious preparedness as they took a big, bulging cheek breath (just in case) and extended their arms for Christian to gently ease them into the pool and over a few feet where they could safely stand up by themselves.
As I watched the boys, I couldn't help but see the entire scene as a picture of how we grow in faith. You see, the gianourmous water slide was very much a symbol of stepping out in faith. It was something new, something that loomed big on the horizon. It required both a bit of daring and trust. It demanded more than just personal effort; it involved someone else's help!
Now, isn't that the definition of stepping out in faith - doing something bigger than your best? Think of all the great heros of faith in Scripture. Moses, who was slow to speak, was asked to headline at Pharaoh's Palace. With bases loaded at the top of the ninth, God found Gideon hiding in the dugout (winepress) and asked him to hit a home run. The odds makers were giving 450 to 1 against (there were 450 Midianites for each Israelite). Yep, stepping out in faith, which is key to growing in faith, means doing something bigger than your best.
Is there something that the Lord has put on your heart, but you've thus far only sat on the sidelines, unwilling to take the plunge? Is He calling you to teach this year in Sunday School? Maybe He wants you to join the worship team, or choir? Has He put a burden on your heart for the youth group? Could it be He wants you to join in a local food bank or women's shelter? Maybe you can't get that person off your mind with whom you need to visit, help, and share the gospel? Is there some sin you know you need to get rid of, but you're afraid to do what's necessary to get the job done? I don't know what God is calling you to do, but I can GUARANTEE that God is calling you to step out in faith - He always does! All you have to do is "JUST DO IT".
Ah, but that's scary, Grant! Sure it is, but think of my boys front-sliding faith. They did a scary thing because they knew they had all the help they needed. They had us and Christian. With the knowledge that helpers were right there with them, the slide was an adventure instead of a problem. We need to always remember that while God calls us to do and step beyond our abilities, He never asks us to do it alone. Jesus promised to be with us until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). He said that He would send us a Comforter, someone who would come along side of us and give us the support we need to get the job done (John 14:16). The key is understanding that "What is impossible with men is possible with God." (Luke 18:27) God wants you to step out beyond the capacity of your own strength because His grace is sufficient; His power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Cor 12:9). Come on! With God's help you can do it! Go ahead, sit at the top, wave to the Father, hold your breath and extend your arms for Christ to catch you before you get in over your head. The trip may not be the most conventional, or direct, but it's much better than sitting on the sidelines and, oh, what a refreshing ride!
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