Where Is Your Faith?

I don't know how I’ve lived in Orlando and hadn’t taken advantage of the tourist attractions. (Well, maybe it’s because I’m not a tourist.) Anyway, I couldn’t help but take advantage of the opportunity when my son came home from Kuwait; after all, he was on vacation.

Anyway, I thought this would be the perfect thing for us to do because it offered a number of activities all in one place. One of the activities that was offered was a “rope course" (twenty different obstacles).

As soon as I heard about the rope obstacle, I was all in. And immediately, my militant mind started to image what the rope obstacle would entail. So, I imagined it would be like the obstacle courses that are offered at military boot camps.

I wouldn’t mind getting dirty, crawling on my stomach under the ropes that hung ever so slightly above me. I wouldn’t mind having to jump, grab the rope, and use my feet to climb over the wall. I wouldn’t mind having to double-dutch through the rope hoops as I made my way to the other end. I wouldn’t mind having to swing from one rope to another as if swinging from the monkey bars.

Besides, my son is the Marine that he is because I taught him everything he knows (I bragged).

So after we had done all the activities that were offered, I was more than excited to get to the rope obstacle.

I was ready!

We made it to the obstacle course. There were people everywhere (involved in yet more activities that were offered). The closer we got to the entrance, the more excited I got. Then, for some strange reason, something caught my attention above my head. And I looked up.

As I looked up, there was a young man who was looking down (seemingly directly at me) as he made his way through the apparent rope obstacle - thirty-six feet up in the air.

Wait!

What?

I stood there. This was not what I had imagined! And yet, somehow I was still excited about doing the course; only now, I had no idea how it was going to happen.

Then it was my turn. The attendant strapped me into a harness and hooked the lever that was attached to the harness into the rail that hung above my head. The only thing I had to hold on to was the rope that connected me to the lever above.

And somehow, as his words assured me that I was done with the safety check, my nerves started to set in as I walked up the stairs to the obstacle course that was about thirty-six feet above the people who were involved in the activities.

Slowly, nervously, I made it to the top. Now the uncertainty that I was feeling as I walked up the stairs to determine whether or not I should be doing this, became very clear by the time I made it to the top.

I was certain that I should not be doing this.

And instantly, the fear started to overtake me as I looked out at the course that was before me. And immediately, it was clear that there wasn’t anything to hold on to but the rope that was attached to my harness and…there wasn’t a net below.

I was getting ready to walk out on seemingly nothing!

I stood there.

As I tried to gather my nerves and overcome the fear that was threatening me to turn around and go back down the stairs and just take the harness off, I tried to figure out how to get across the course. The course that was before me had two rails (maybe a foot-and-a-half apart) that I had to walk across to get to the other side. Sounds easy enough, right?

Well, the only thing that kept it from being easy was the fact that again, I had nothing to hold on to and when I looked down, the thirty-six feet in the air reminded me that there wasn’t a net below. It was terrifying, and all I could think about was the fear of falling. But I had to do it. I hadn’t come to not go through with it. So, I made up my mind that I was going to just make it happen.

The only thing with that was, my head and my feet weren’t in agreement; my head was saying go, but my feet wouldn’t move. Again, I contemplated just turning around and going back downstairs. A few quick words of encouragement and somehow like a baby taking their first steps, I stood there with just one foot on the rail and the other on the landing (as I waited for my other foot to take the second step). And before I knew anything, I was calling on Jesus. “Lord, help me.” With each step that I took I said, “Jesus, help me. Lord, I know you’ve got me.” And before I knew anything I had made it to the other side. “Whew! Thank you, Jesus!”

Suspension bridges, swinging beams, lily pads…each course was the same.

The first baby step, “Lord, help me.” The second step, “Jesus…Lord, I know you got me.” And again, somehow I made it, “Whew! Thank you, Jesus!”

We made it through six of the twenty different courses before our allotted time was up.

And while each course was different, my approach remained the same.

That night, I couldn’t help but think about the courses as the Lord began to minister to me and revealed how the courses are just like our walk with Him.

He revealed that each course is reflective of the different struggles we encounter in life.

How many times are we faced with situations that seemingly there’s no way we’re going to make it to the other side? How many obstacles do we face and there’s still fear and trepidation? Better yet, how many times have we come face to face with an obstacle and somehow we make it through? Obstacles where we know…there’s nothing to hold on to and there’s no net below. And yet, we face each one with the same approach:

We fail to realize that we’re connected above.

It’s a different challenge, but you treat it the same, “Lord, help me. Jesus, help me. Lord, I know you got it.”

One step, two steps. Put one foot in front…of the other. You made it.

“Whew! Thank you, Jesus!”

While it may be frightening, it also shows our lack of trust. This is what we do instead of walking by faith.

The Lord said, “Trust Me.”

It doesn’t matter what obstacle you may face. He’ll see you through.

So every time you’re faced with an obstacle, all you have to do is trust Him. Trust that you’re connected above. And while it may appear to be no one or nothing to hold onto, remember, He’s always there.

There is no way that you can fall…you’re connected.

Walk by faith and not by sight!

This is the will of God concerning you.