The Cliff

Her white dress whipped back and forth as the wind used her skirt to play it's haunting melody. She sidestepped a rather pointy rock as she walk closer and closer.

Closer.

She could see it coming. The jagged line where rocky earth met gray blue.

Closer.

The salty sea air tickled her nose. A new gust of wind assaulted her, pushing her back like it didn't want her to see what was ahead.

The edge.

Closer still.

Two tantalizing steps more. Finally. Here she was.

The edge.

Murky waves crashed against the side of the rocky wall. Closing her eyes, she spread her arms wide. She felt like a bird. She felt like she could fly. She was almost certain in fact. All it would take is a little trust, and one...

Single...

Jump...

Heather gasped. She looked around her room. She was in her bed. In her coffee cup pajamas. Safe. Sound. No where near the edge of a cliff.

Except for the one in her heart.

The one where God whispered, "Trust me."



 

One of my absolute, all time favorite books is...

Wings of the Morning by Lori Wick.

This is such an amazing book. I have read it so many times, that I have lost count, but it's well over twenty. Probably approaching thirty times, and the reason why the pages are yellow, the corners are rubbed circular, and why it's being held together by tape. This is such a beautiful story of trusting God. Jumping where you see no answers. My love for my favorite Psalm came from this book.

"Where shall I go from your spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me." Psalm 139:7-10

If you hang around me a lot, you will see that I quote these verses a lot. All the time. This is why.  ;)

Lately I've been thinking about some stuff that I'm trusting God for personally. Man, is that tough! I always describe it to the youth group kids as jumping off the edge of a huge, rocky cliff.

And I'm afraid of heights.

Spiritually, it's like I'm wearing an inflatable ducky inner tube. There's a rope tied around it, securing it safely to a tree on land. I have rock climbing gear and a parachute strapped to my back.

Why do I look like such an idiot?

Because I won't let go and trust God.

The problem is that I kept struggling with trusting God for this. Somewhere in my spirit I keep thinking I'll have my "Damascus moment" and get it sooner or later.

You guys know about Saul/Paul, right? (Acts 9) He seriously persecuted the early church after Jesus was resurrected. Saul/Paul had permission from the religious leaders to kill anyone who claimed to be a Christian. So one day Saul/Paul was on his way to Damascus to do just that when a bright, Heavenly light stopped him in his tracks, and a voice said, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"

From that moment on, Saul was changed. He was Paul.

I've been expecting this grand, insane, perfect moment to fall on me, and from that moment on be changed.

Not doubting anymore.

Not afraid of what's next.

Not worried about the future.

Not lacking in faith.

But changed.

A Damascus moment.

However...

That has not been the case.

I've come to figure something out. Something I thought I had figured out. Something I've literally learned, like, a billion times. (Excuse the cringe worthy cliché.)

It's step by step. Day by day. Moment by moment.

Second by second.

I guess I use to think that the reason you had to take this trusting God stuff step by step was because something new, bigger, and even worse had come along. However, sometimes it's the same hard, difficult, heart-wrenching thing as before, and you just have to trust God all over again. Sometimes you have to give it over to God again just that fast. I've learned that trusting God with my life doesn't always mean there is a big, moment where I suddenly just get it. A lot of times, it's about the little moments where I jump off that proverbial cliff a billion times a day.

Into God's arms.

I love this picture. Instead of being afraid and frantically clinging to the edge screaming, "No, I won't let go!", the girl is open. She is ready and waiting for God to do her thing. She embraces the cliff of faith. She's not afraid.

"Where shall I go from your spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me." Psalm 139:7-10

God bless you guys! I will see you on March 10th!  :)

V. Joy Palmer