By the Book

When it comes to stepping out in faith, I used to think I was willing to take pretty big steps, but as I look at my life there have been only a few times I have done it and most the time I was forced into the situation. I have been feeling challenged that God is wanting more and more from me and I want to be willing to do whatever He asks. I find myself sitting on the edge of the pool dangling my feet in and watching as others dive into the deep end. Swimming is more than getting your feet wet. Once in a while I might jump into the shallow end and push myself up from the bottom and quickly find my seat on the side again. Swimming is more than jumping in. I think most Christians fall into the "jump in and play for a while and then get back to the side and let my feet dangle" camp. In order to swim a person has to work hard, be willing to put their head under the water and travel a distance. Think about it! When you swim you actually hold you head under the water and gasp for air occasionally to keep from drowning. The deeper the water and the further from the side of the pool or the shore you go the bigger the risk. From a logical stand point, wouldn't it make more sense to use a boat or raft that keeps you well above the water?

God does not always deal in human logic. Faith is all about risk. You learn to depend on something you can't tangibly feel or see. It is scary because there is an element of the unknown. I think too many times I stop short. I don't cross the threshold from safe to risk. I jump in but I quickly find my way back to the side of the pool. That is unfortunate because it is the moment of our greatest weakness that God shows up and we let Him finally have total control. In our weakness, He is made strong.