September 15, 2008
A
Scary Slide
This
morning, I remembered a scene I had witnessed this past summer while walking
Masada in the park. A father and a small boy were playing and had gone over to
the slide. The slide must have seemed enormous to the boy, but it wasn't as tall
as the father.
I
had the impression that the son had been asking to go on the slide for a while
from the tone of the father's "Okay, go ahead"
The
son squealed "yes", took the first step up the ladder, stepped back
and said, "It's too big."
"I'll
be right here with you son"
Up
he went again, checking after every step that his father was still right there
with him. When he reached to top, he cried, "It's too far down. I'm
scared!"
His
father reassured him that he would catch him on the way down, walked to the
front of the slide and caught him.
"I
want to go again daddy!"
The
scene played out the same way several times before the boy said "I can do
it by myself now daddy." He went up and down several times by himself
before I passed them and couldn't see anymore.
I
think a similar scene plays out in our hearts when God calls us to do something.
We want to be obedient, but fear prevents us from taking that first step.
Sometimes we manage to take the first step but get frightened and stop in the
middle of the process.
If
we just trust in His presence and power, He'll see us through it every time and
before long we have confidence in our new found ability.
Trust
in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all
your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
NIV
Trust
in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:4
NIV
The
situation might seem uncomfortable or unfamiliar to us. The task might seem
daunting, but obedience is an offering the Lord prizes highly.
As
the words to the old hymn say "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to
be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey."
He
won't leave you to do the task alone. He'll equip you for whatever He calls you
to do.
May
the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back
from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with
everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to
him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Hebrews
13:20-21 NIV
What
is it that you have been called or want to do for the Lord?
Is
it risky? Is it causing you alarm? The first steps are always the most daunting!
Until
next time, may you take those first (or next) steps of obedience to His call
upon your life. He is right there beside you.
Be
blessed
Darrel
Mason