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From
the June, 2003 edition of The Doulos monthly
newsletter
by
Tim Abel
"Jump"
When my daughter was first learning to walk down steps by herself, we had a nerve-racking experience. She and I would practice by walking up and down the steps. I would hold one hand and she would hold the railing with her other hand as she carefully descended step-by-step. After much practice she started to gain confidence in her new ability. At first she would have me walk beside her without holding her hand, just for moral support. Not long after that, I could walk down ahead of her. As long as I was around she was comfortable.
One afternoon I was not there when she was ready to come down the stairs. She stood at the top of the steps and looked down at what must have seemed to her like an impossible task. I was downstairs around the corner, just waiting to see what she would do. She paced back and forth a few times, then she started the climb down. But, she lost her nerve after just a few steps and headed back to the top. She started calling for me, her Father, to come to her rescue. I paused, then I peered around the corner at the bottom of the steps. When she realized I was there, she got very excited. She started clapping and jumping up and down, then she backed up about ten steps. That’s when I got scared and my heart began to race because I realized what she was about to do.
Before she could maneuver down the steps herself I would often stand at the top of the steps and she would run and jump into my outstretched arms for a ride down. The only problem was that now she was at the top of the steps and I was at the bottom of the steps! I tried racing up the steps as fast as I could run, but there was no way I could make it in time to stop her. She had already taken a running start and jumped off the top of the steps. I caught her in mid-air, about six steps from the top.
My initial reaction was to give her a strong scolding. But before I got a word out, she started giggling and laughing and gave me the biggest bear hug and said, “I love you, Daddy!” That threw me off for a moment. As we descended together God stepped in and began to use what had just happened to call me to task. At that very moment I was standing before something in my own life that seemed like an impossible task.
I was humbled just thinking about it. Just like I had walked down those steps so many times holding my daughter’s hand, my Heavenly Father had walked along with me in my daily devotions. As I grew and became more confident in my faith, I knew that my Heavenly Father was going before me, just as I had gone before my daughter when she was walking down the steps by herself. But just as she had lost her nerve when she faced that seemingly impossible task, so had I.
When I called out for my Heavenly Father to come to my rescue, He was right there. When I made that jump of faith into His strong and sure arms, I was able to experience His presence and an overwhelming peace. What had once seemed so impossible suddenly looked possible through Him.
I don’t pretend to know what you may be facing in your life today. What I do know is that when we have a consistent walk with our Heavenly Father, everything that we face is possible in Him. When those seemingly impossible tasks arise, and they will, just know that you can make that jump of faith into your Father’s open and outstretched arms. Whatever seems so impossible now will begin to look more and more possible as you experience life in the presence of our Lord.
Jump!
In
Christ,
Tim
Abel
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