If your friend jumped off a cliff would you?

If your friend jumped off a cliff would you?

I did.

It took some coaxing, but I actually did it.

In order to clear the bank that led to the water beyond the cliff, one really had to get some inertia by running as fast as you could before jumping. Hopefully, you were a good jumper. If so, it was possible to propel yourself far enough out to land safely in deep water, then, all was well. Enjoyment and exhilaration of the daring experience could commence.

I needed all my ducks in a row.

Observing my friends jump several times to see if it was really as fun as they proclaimed it was; I then had to get up there and see just how far it looked. It was a pretty good jump, probably 12-14 feet. Maybe more. The beach area was about that far away from the edge of the cliff too, so you had to plan on jumping out far enough to clear the beach in order to land in the water.After arranging for someone to be in the water right where I was supposed to land, I took a flying leap.

I trusted that person. They said I could, and so I did.

How many times in my life have I prayed for something, only to take matters into my own hands and afterwards hear God say, "You didn't trust me." So many. Believe me, I don't want to hear that. I'd rather just let God handle everything, but sometimes that means letting Him guide my thoughts and actions. If I choose to do something other than what He tells me to, I hear it. "You didn't trust me."

When I hear God point out the fact that I didn't trust Him, I can't take it back. I can't apologize and say, "But I just wanted to go ahead and do this or that." , "But I was about to..." or "I forgot."

I'm a grown-up, I know better. And so does He.

I trusted the person that was supposed to catch me when I jumped off that cliff. I should have trusted my gut! The Holy Spirit told me not to jump. I knew I wasn't as strong as the ones that had been jumping all day. It wasn't fair to put my trust in someone who would have never been able to catch me. Even though they were exactly where I told them to be, I had to get to them and I never made it that far. Maybe I stopped running before I jumped. Maybe I just didn't have enough speed or umph when I jumped. Maybe I knew all along that I wouldn't make it. Whatever the case, I landed smack dab on the bank. It's a wonder I didn't break my legs, my back or even my neck. Seems that God carried me even way back then. I should've trusted Him when He told me not to jump. And I really hate saying, "Should've." Wouldn't it be great to say, "I'm glad I did!"

It's okay to give God the little things along with the big things. It's absurd that I can so easily hand over the big things and let Him handle them, but choose so often to keep the little things from Him. From paying my Tithe BEFORE I pay my bills, to helping me figure out something for supper; I've learned that it's just as easy, and perfectly okay, to give Him the little things too. It opens up even more opportunity to give God the glory! So, each morning, I just give it ALL to Him and then each evening, I can look back over the day and thank Him for every-single-thing.