The battle between fear and trust…

I am here on the Front Porch to help you grow.  I can’t make the decisions for you but I can give you encouragement.

A two-year-old girl stands by the side of a pool.  “Jump!” her father says, with open arms.  “Don’t be afraid.  You can trust me.  I won’t let you fall.  Jump!”

She is, in that moment, a bundle of inner conflict.  On the one hand, everything inside of her is screaming to stay put.  The water is deep, cold, and dangerous.  She has never done this before.  She can’t swim.  What if something were to go wrong?  Bad things could happen.  After all, it is her body at stake here.

On the other hand, that is her daddy in the water.  He is bigger and stronger than she is and has been relatively trustworthy up to this point for the past two years.  He seems to be quite confident about the outcome.  The battle is between fear and trust.  Trust says Jump!  Fear says No!

Now she cannot stand on the side of the pool forever.  Eventually she comes to the moment of decision.  She is more than just her fears – or her confidence, for that matter.  Inside is a tiny spark of will, and with that little spark she determines her destiny.  She will jump, or she will back away.  Whichever way this little girl chooses will lead to significant consequences.

If she chooses to jump, she will become a little more confident of her father’s ability to catch her.  She will become more likely to take the leap next time.  The water will hold less terror for her.  Ultimately, she will come to see herself as a kind of person who will not be held back by fear.

But on the other hand, if she decides not to jump, that will also have consequences.  She will lose the opportunity to discover that her father can be trusted.  She will be a little more inclined toward safety next time.  She will perceive herself as the kind of person who does not respond bravely to challenges.  She will work harder to make sure she avoids being faced with decisions involving fear in the future.

You too are at your side of the pool and you are faced with a decision.   Do I go for security, safety, or to I go for significance?  Do I go for living with the crowd or do I go for living with GOD and the purpose that HE made me for?  

Listen folks, the fruit is on the end of the branch and there is risk involved in reaching for it but oh it is so worth the risk.

Just a thought from the front porch…