This is the next of the forty meditations. You can find the book on Amazon. Follow this link here. (Also available on Kindle)
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Creed Statement: I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all
things visible and invisible.
Today’s Focus: I BELIEVE
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on
your own intelligence rely not; In all your ways be mindful of Him, and He will
make straight your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).
I
had heard about the rappelling tower. Its reputation loomed larger than life
weeks before my arrival in San Antonio for military training. I stood in line
with two dozen others and stared soberly at the fifty-three foot rickety wooden
structure. My palms start to sweat when I stand on a chair.
"Pick up the rope in front of you." The sergeant’s bark broke into my thoughts.
With a series of twists and
jerks, he demonstrated how to wrap the rope around, under and behind our waists
and thighs to form a saddle. Then he marched us to the ladder and we climbed
toward the clouds. Clumps of dirt fell from the boots of those ahead of me.
When the last straggler took
her place on the platform, the sergeant asked, "Who's afraid of
heights?"
I
raised my hand, hoping he’d send me back down the ladder. I was wrong.
"You’re first," he
said.
With the proverbial patience
of Job, the sergeant fastened a rope through the "D" ring and guided
it around to my back. My stomach churned as I stepped toward the ledge. Like a
robot, I obeyed the sergeant’s instructions and grabbed the line in front of me
with my left hand and the line behind me with my right. The tail end fell what
seemed five miles to the ground.
Sweat dripped from my forehead
as I leaned back into space. Resigned to my fate, I let out a few inches of
rope. In a moment, I was perpendicular to the tower wall, fifty-three very long
feet above the Texas soil.
"Jump!" the sergeant
commanded.
I pushed away from the wall
and plummeted toward earth until I gripped the rope and stopped my descent.
Euphoria swelled in my chest when I realized I was still alive. I pushed again
and fell another twenty feet. One more shove and I landed gently on the dirt.
Sometimes my struggle with
confidence in God’s power, presence, and love is a little like my struggle with
that monstrous fifty-three foot tower. Biblical faith is more than intellectual
assent to God’s existence. It is God-centered and births an active, risk-taking
confidence that proclaims, “I will trust God no matter where He leads and no
matter what He tells me to do.”
Just
as I needed to believe the rope would hold me, I need to believe God will not
leave me hanging in space – or let me fall. And though I might wonder if the
Father really knows how far it is to the bottom, I’ve also experienced what the
Psalmist learned, "Those whose steps are guided by the Lord, whose way God
approves, may stumble, but they will never fall, for the Lord holds their
hand" (Psalm 37:23-24).
That’s one of the things the
Creed helps us remember – not only what we believe, but in Whom
we believe. No wonder you and I can trust Him, even if He asks us to lean into
His arms and dangle fifty-three feet above the ground.
Prayer: Lord, I believe in You. Increase my faith. I trust in You. Strengthen my trust. I love You. Let me love You more and more. (Pope Clement XI)
2 comments:
Being terrified of heights, I can identify with the challenge you felt on that tower. It's a constant effort to remind myself that I am indeed in the hands of God and that He will provide for all my needs. Even after all His proofs, I am still tempted to fear, but now the temptations are opportunities to believe. I like your prayer by Pope Clement.
Many of the things I write about are common to all of us. That is why we all need each other for support, and we all need the Lord for His help . . . and His compassion.
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