I heard—and saw—the most powerful definition of what it means to take a leap of faith a few weeks back at Recovery Church.
Alan, a past graduate of the Addiction Services programme in Wellington who now works at Wellington Community Ministries, talked about his experiences going on a tandem sky dive in Australia. He played a video of him leaping out of the plane, tethered to a guide, taking the initial freefall and then gliding safely down to earth. It’s certainly a testimony to the quality of life that can be experienced once drugs and alcohol no longer have a grip on someone’s life.
Anyway, as I watching the footage of Alan’s face being buff eted by the wind on his descent, I was thinking that I could never, ever be persuaded to do the same thing. Not in a million years! I have such a terror of heights that even watching a TV programme with someone looking over the edge of a roof will have my toes curling.
Alan went on to talk about the expression ‘taking a leap of faith’. He was encouraging his listeners to take that leap during their recovery—to believe in a higher power, which in Alan’s case is God as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. But it was Alan’s connecting of faith with trust that piqued my interest.
We don’t have to trust to take a leap of faith, Alan pointed out. Trust grows later. I guess I’d never really thought about this in such a practical way before: that trust is a gradual confidence that grows over time and through experience. In a Christian sense, as we learn that the faith we’re exercising in Jesus brings peace, wisdom and more for everyday life, that’s when we realise that faith is holding us up and keeping us safe. Th at’s also when doubts, although they will always surface, don’t control our hearts and minds. Instead, they can help spur us on to that next leap of faith, which gives us yet another opportunity to let trust grow.
If you’re wrestling with doubts, I’d encourage you to dive into Darren Elkington’s study on ‘Imperfectly Perfect Faith’ in this edition. Realise that whether your faith is large or small, God is there for you. And, as another writer wisely observed, ‘Faith, like a muscle, grows by stretching.’
Christina Tyson
Editor
John 8:12 New Living Translation
‘Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that
leads to life.” ’
Hoani 8:12
‘I ki atu ano a Ihu ki a ratou, i mea, Ko ahau te whakamarama o te ao: ki te aru tetahi i ahau, e kore ia e haere i te pouri, engari ka whiwhi ki te marama o te ora.