I stood there, frozen in place, as the water rushed over my feet, and fear began to take hold of me. My heart beat faster as my turn arrived. Taking a deep breath, I sprinted forward, surging through the water, and leaped into a stomach-wrenching freefall…
The vacation my family took to Hawaii is one of my fondest memories. One day, we joined with several others to leave the busy tourist spots behind and set off down the river in canoes. After boating for a couple of hours, we reached a bank and continued on foot.
Our hike eventually brought us to our destination: A giant waterfall. This waterfall can be seen in the opening minutes of the movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and we were thrilled to see it in person! Suddenly, our adventure guide Elvis (seriously) asked a daunting question: “Who wants to jump off the waterfall with me?” All eyes turned to me, my brother, and my sister (apparently being the youngest in a group automatically makes you the most fearless!). Feeling the pressure, we agreed, and followed Elvis as he climbed up the side of the waterfall.
Once we reached the top, Elvis provided our instructions: “Make sure you jump far enough to clear the rocks at the bottom,” He said, “And take a running start, because if you stand at the edge, the rushing water will push you over.” With that, he took off with a howl and dived out of sight.
Praying that God would propel me far enough, I sprinted towards the edge after him. As I leapt from the edge, a curious sense of freedom and excitement overcame me! It may have been my imagination, but I even thought I saw Harrison Ford, nodding his approval from the shore below…
Faith is not blind. For a Christian, faith is trusting in someone, not ignorantly walking forward with a “come what may” attitude. The Bible tells us who God is, we have the countless testimonies of others, and we have our own personal experience with our Creator, yet we still find faith difficult. Why is this?
God asks us to trust Him. He does not show us the future, even if we wish He would! In our lives, we will certainly find ourselves on top of a spiritual waterfall, unable to see over the ledge. We may long to move forward, yet fear of the unknown keeps us locked in place. We hear the laughter below of those who have gone before us, yet panic whispers thoughts of doubt in our mind. God will never give us a crystal ball to peer into the future, but He gives us something far better: Himself. When God beckons me forward, I can trust in the promises of who He is, and leap into the adventurous life of freedom He has prepared for me.
“Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
Mike Blackaby is 25 years old and is the college and young adult pastor at First Baptist Church in Jonesboro, GA. Mike loves to play music, loves to snowboard, play hockey, and cheers for the Colorado Avalanche. He is terrified of spiders, but loves reading fantasy novels, watching movies, taking road trips, building camp fires, and will do any roller coaster if someone goes with him. You can contact him via Facebook.