Soar

Fear of failing is one of those things that can really grip us.  I wonder sometimes if we would do things much differently if we knew we would not fail.  Would we be bolder in making changes in our lives or at our workplace?  Would we be more honest with others if we knew there was no chance of hurt or rejection?  Would we go for that dream that has lived in the back of our minds if we knew success was right around the corner?

As we age I wonder if we lose a bit of that ignorant-confidence that helps us take leaps of faith before we even fully understand what the consequences might be - when we are passionate about something and that passion drives us to soar.  Bravery is an interesting thing, isn't it?  When was the last time you did something really brave?

Hebrews 11 talks a little bit about Abraham's faith saying:

17-19 By faith, Abraham, at the time of testing, offered Isaac back to God. Acting in faith, he was as ready to return the promised son, his only son, as he had been to receive him—and this after he had already been told, “Your descendants shall come from Isaac.” Abraham figured that if God wanted to, he could raise the dead. In a sense, that’s what happened when he received Isaac back, alive from off the altar.

Abraham acted in faith, trusting that somehow God would work through this time of testing.  Abraham wasn't always this bold with his faith, but it must have been a true test of bravery to actually take his son up on that mountain.  It's easy to take steps of faith when we can see where the staircase leads, not so much when we are challenged to be bold without the knowledge of what may come.  This is where real faith is grown though, when we step bravely into the unknown having to trust that God is in the midst of the mystery.  

I want to have that kind of faith that pushes me off the diving board and into the deep end - the sink or swim kind that challenges me not to just play-it-safe and stay comfortable.  How about you?

Prayer:  God sometimes I am so afraid of failing that I don't plunge into the mystery of faith.  Help me to trust that the net of your faithfulness will catch me when I need it most.  I want to be brave like those you called to follow You, to drop the nets that keep me complacent.  Guide me into the deep end of faith.  Amen.