Jump!

I have done it. I thought it would never happen. It seemed so far off. It was the impossible goal set beyond reach. Others are far ahead of me. One is already through, yet I plod along. 

I have sent off what I hope is the final version of my thesis proposal! In one sense a huge amount of work is now completed. In another sense, the door has opened on a whole new closet needing to be cleaned out, bigger and messier than the one before. It is much like writing a sermon or even this weekly column. Much of the effort is in taking the first step. Once pen is put to paper, or in this case, fingers to keyboard, the journey has begun.

What journey has God laid out for you? Some of us are traveling uncharted waters. We are in the deep end of the pool with little or nothing with which to pull ourselves out. We have made a commitment. Once we jump off the diving board we know we are going into the water. We can’t stop halfway down and go back up!

Following Jesus, is just like that! Christ, Himself, says, No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God. Strong words. We can’t go back. It is all or nothing. That’s what Jesus is saying. You wouldn’t be fit for the Kingdom because the Kingdom requires total commitment just as jumping off that diving board requires total commitment.

I am in over my head now. The next eighteen months will be consumed with reading, writing, interviewing, taking surveys, and analyzing data. But, we’ve all been in over our head for a long time as disciples of Jesus. It isn’t a sink or swim situation though, like it is with the academic work, because Christ guarantees your success. He is not just the lifeguard. He is the one who swims for us when we can’t even dog paddle.

So many times we hold back. We stand, bouncing on the end of the diving board, not really wanting to take that big leap, but knowing that to climb down off the platform is not the way we would like to exit the situation either. The problem really boils down to one of trust. Christ is there telling us to Jump, come on! Everything’s going to be fine! But, we don’t trust Him. We like to be in control and we know that once our feet leave that board, we are not in control any longer. So we stand there bouncing. It’s time to make a decision. What will you do? Come on in, the water’s fine!

Blessings,

Pastor Craig