Leap of Faith

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As I opened the blinds and looked out into the backyard one winter morning, a neighborhood daredevil unknowingly treated me to his early morning leap of faith.

With the trees still leafless, a darting movement in the branches quickly caught my eye. As I looked more closely, I could see that it was a squirrel — though he quickly proved he was not just any squirrel. He must have thought he was Wonder Squirrel or something. He skillfully zoomed higher and higher and then boldly ventured out on the tiniest limb. Before I could finish thinking where is he going? I bet he’s going to jump, he did it, hesitating only ever so slightly before his leap.

After sailing through the air to the closest limb of a nearby tree, he landed his leap with the sure-footedness of . . . well, a squirrel. He completely trusted that limb. He seemed to know it would hold his weight, that it would catch him. And he was right. It bent, but it didn’t break. It seemed to bounce back at just the right speed, allowing him to keep his balance and continue on his frenzied little journey.

Watching this little daredevil’s leap of faith, I immediately thought of the times we are called upon to jump into our Father’s arms. You know, the times when God wants us to trust him. The times when he wants us to go where he’s calling us to go or do what he’s asking us to do, even when it means stepping out into the unknown. He wants us to believe he will catch us and help us maintain our balance as we journey on with him. He wants us to trust him completely.

I want to be ready to do just that—to trust God completely. How about you? Any other daredevils out there?

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

*When have you taken a leap of faith?

*I hope this slightly revised encore post from March 2008 blessed you all and provided just the word of encouragement someone needed today. May it be so, Lord!

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter, comes out in early February. Sign-up is free and to the right!

*Flickr photo by Maxwell GS, Creative Commons License

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