Picture of Faith from Michael Chase

Today I saw a true picture of FAITH!

Michael and I went for a walk by the creek. At the end of the path it appeared someone was in the process of creating a bridge across the creek. A bulldozer had cleared a path leaving huge tire marks in the soft but firm mud. Dirt had been pushed from both sides of the creek towards the water. The piles of dirt from each side, however, did not meet in the middle. It left a considerable gap between the two.

Michael raced down the dirt to the edge of the pile. He looked at the gap. I watched as he studied carefully the distance between the two. He cleverly began to look for a way around the obvious problem. Rather quickly he discovered a way to get to the other side and avoided the jump all together.
After playing for a little while, he decided to cross back over. He walked up to the edge of the gap and peered down. His wheels were turning, though he said nothing. After a silent pause, he said, "I want to jump."
I asked, "Can you make it?"
"I think so," he replied.
"What will happen if you don't?" I prodded.
"I'll fall in the dirt and skin my knees."
"Could you handle that?"
"Yeah."
I watched as he scooted back as far as he could to get a running start. There wasn't much room, but he backed to the very edge. He started to go several times, and then said,
"I'm scared."
"How far was the jump over the creek at grandma's?" I asked.
"Not this far, " he muttered.
Then I heard those famous words, "I can do all things through Christ..."he whispered to himself,
and he ran and jumped.
The landing was perfect!
He wiped his hands and said, "Whew, I did it."

All I could think was...what a perfect picture of FAITH!
How many times do we stand on the edge of life, doubting the abilities God has given us or afraid of what the outcome might be?
When we stand on the edge of the gap, we must ask ourselves 2 questions...
1. Can I handle the pain if I fall?
2. What will I miss if I don't jump?

We can take the easy way around but we'll miss the thrill of the jump!

When standing on the edge of the gap...whisper the words you know are true...
"I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength" & ...JUMP!
What a perfect picture of faith it will be!