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Ever stood on a high-dive board far above the water, gathering up the courage to jump into space for the first time? How about a cliff overlooking a lagoon? Or an outcropping of rock into the ocean?
Imagine being an Olympic athlete, on the precipice of a ski jump, ready to travel at astonishing speed, then begin a series of twists while plummeting back to earth. How strong is your faith in all the coaching, practice and preparation of a lifetime? Are you ready to draw on that faith, to put your life on the line? Few would dare to put themselves at a level of risk that high.
A life well-lived is full of even greater risks; choosing the right life partner, making a timely career move, or raising children in an uncertain world. We don’t always have the full information or insight needed to make the choice. But it must be made. And choices are often encountered when we feel least prepared, must be made immediately, might never be available again. Choices are crucial to growth.
And the ultimate choice is before us all day, every day. At any given moment we are confronted with the choice between our Father’s will and our own. The decision is usually much less profound than whether or not to jump from a high cliff. It might be as simple as deciding how to respond to an unkind remark or taking the time to help someone in need.
Like the Olympic ski jumper, a lifetime of training and small decisions pave the way for making big decisions about how to act; character. How well have we listened to our own inner coach, the spirit fragment of our Father, preparing us to navigate life’s large and small ski jumps? How instinctively do we put the needs of others above our own? What would Jesus do? How much faith do we really have in his promise of eternal life? Do we have enough faith in that promise to choose, every time, to do our Father’s will?
A leap is made easier when you listen to your inner spiritual coach/friend counseling you, calling out a dare to encourage you to trust him and yourself. Because faith is a dare. Do I dare to have faith in Father? What worldly treasure am I willing to give up for his sake? Do I really believe in a universe full of loving spiritual guides, all part of a loving family ready and eager to help me? Will God have my back?
Go ahead, have faith. I dare you!
