I got a phone call from a friend not long ago, and he was asking questions about God and what being a Christian was all about. It wasn't long before I realized my friend was struggling to make sense of his life. I listened and I tried to answer some questions and encouraged as much as I could. When the phone call ended, I began to regret that I didn't speak more to the simple act of Faith that God wants from us all. Instead of trying to answer all the specific questions people may have about God, sometimes we just need to say, "Close your eyes and JUMP!" He will catch you. Soon after the call, God impressed upon me to write this down to send it to my friend.
Imagine a small child standing at the edge of a long wooden pier. Beyond the edge of the pier is a beautiful lake. The water is inviting and only a few feet away. The child's father is out in the water about waist deep with his arms outstretched towards his son. The father says, "C'mon, jump, I will catch you! Don't worry, I will be right here and you will love it"! The child is hesitant, but does want to be with his father. Even though the pier is providing some stability and safety, the child knows deep down he would rather be with his father.
A leap of faith is all it will take but the unknown is sometimes too much to handle so the child begins to ask questions. "What's it like out there", the child asks, "and are you sure you can catch me?"
"I can, and I will", the father responds, "all you must do is trust me." The child is still unsure but his father is ever patient and continues to hold his arms outstretched towards his son as he waits.
Finally, the child realizes he doesn't want to be alone anymore and the desire to be with his father is overwhelming so he leaps off the edge of the pier. When he opens his eyes he sees he is safely in the arms of his father. Both are laughing and overjoyed to be together in the water and having fun.
The child now understands his father can be trusted so he climbs out of the water back onto the pier, and wants to do it again and again. But now, each time the child jumps his father has moved out a little farther. With each jump, the child's faith is proved true and rewarded because his father catches him every time!
What happens next is the best part and something the father knew all along. His child now leads all of his brothers and sisters to the edge of that same pier and says;
"Jump! It's okay he will catch you. I have stood where you are standing and you just have to trust him. He can, and he will catch you! But you have to jump before He can prove it to you. C'mon! Close your eyes and jump!"
