This past week I have had several reminders of a trip I took seven years ago. It was a dream come true for me. I spent two months in Africa visiting South Africa, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and Tanzania. In Zimbabwe it was a delight to have volunteered at Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage. Towards the end of my time there I went with several other volunteers to see the amazing and beautiful Victoria Falls. While there I decided to join a few of them in a venture I had never done in my life — Zip Line.
This zip line experience stretched across the Zambezi Gorge. Was I afraid? YES! I went ahead and got kitted up in a secure harness. Then, with some trepidation, but so wanting to at the same time, I made my way to the launch point. The guide gave instructions. “Put one hand here, the other there, say ‘let’s go,’ and I send you on your way.” I was repeating the instructions to myself, but out loud, to make certain I understood. The guide didn’t know I was just encouraging myself. When I said, “let’s go,” he pushed me on my way! In seconds I was zooming across the Gorge, I managed to look down. No kidding, a crocodile was gliding across the Zambezi River. Away I went. Was I still afraid? NO! Wonderfully and amazingly, too, the fear completely left. I was having an exhilarating experience. I actually zip lined across several times. Indescribable fun!
It was taking a bit of a risk to let myself be harnessed up. It was taking a risk to climb up to the launch point. It was taking more risk to go again and again, but the joy and fun was such that I never regretted the risk.
In our spiritual world it’s a risk to trust Jesus. We have to declare belief that what He said is true. He is the Son of God. He died blameless to pay the price for our sins. He does give us eternal life with Him where no death or sorrow exist. We must believe and accept this in order to become a child of God. The promise is given in Hebrews 11:6, “It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.” This verse is personally special to me, because it was this verse that led me to receive Jesus as my own personal Savior 53 years ago. I’m so thankful I took that risk, that I harnessed myself to His Word, that I climbed up to the launch point of His offer of salvation, that I said the words, “I believe. Please come into my life and forgive my sins. Thank you for dying for me.”
When I proclaimed those words, meaning them with all my heart, He sent me soaring into the unknown — but never alone. I was harnessed to His love, never to be severed. He would send me on perilous missions where crocodiles were nearby, ready to devour, but I was still harnessed to His love. He would “never leave me or forsake me” (Hebrews 13:5). I was harnessed to His love. Therefore, I have always known, to this very day, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me” (Hebrews 5:6)? Death is not an enemy to the Child of God. Jesus conquered death on the cross when He rose again. To rise again victorious is a promise to us, too. It’s a risk to choose to soar into the unknown with Jesus, but the journey is full of inner peace and indescribable joy, and the final destination is literally out of this world.
If you are not yet a child of God, I hope you will take that risk. You may see crocodiles, but you will always be safe because you’ll be harnessed in the grip of His love.
Don’t we all get discouraged when something unfair happens to us? Focusing on the ill treatment alone brings nothing but deeper despair, feelings of isolation, a stab of rejection. These are not wholesome emotions on which to dwell. When left to run havoc, they will do nothing but smother the life of joy and peace out of us.
I read an interesting analogy this week. I have heard the story before, as many of you may have, too, but the reminder is helpful to us all. The story goes like this: A farmer’s donkey fell down a well. The farmer tried to think of a way to get him out but no solutions came to mind. Finally, he told himself that the donkey was old and of no real use anymore, so he would just fill in the well. (Talk about unfair treatment!) He began to toss in shovelfuls of earth. The donkey brayed loudly as you can imagine, but after a while, no more sounds came from the well. The farmer assumed the donkey had been smothered but when he looked down into the well, he saw the donkey — standing on the pile of earth that he had shoveled in! As the soil was tossed down, the donkey shook it off his back and climbed up. The donkey was looking upwards throughout the ordeal. In other words, he focused on the light at the top of the well. Finally, with the well nearly full of earth, the donkey stepped out onto the land and trotted off to find some grass to munch.
I take great encouragement from this donkey in the well story. Its truth is rather poignant. We all get discouraged from unfair situations. Sometimes we get dirt thrown at us. We can focus on the troubles and do nothing more, or we can look up and step up. We can shake the dirt off our backs, focus on the light, and climb out of our well of gloom to munch on the good grass of God’s promises instead.
“Be truly glad because there is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for awhile. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold — though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
I Peter 1:6-7 NLT
When I was about 8 years old my family and I were living in Illinois, USA. Growing up, one weekend each month, my parents would arrange a family outing. I vividly remember the time we went to Hannibal, Missouri where Mark Twain grew up, and where his stories of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn were inspired. We took a guided tour inside a cave reported as the very cave where Injun’ Joe met his fate falling down a hole rurmored to be a bottomless pit. You can imagine how this captured all our imaginations.
As the guide led us around the hole, he told us to be very still because he would turn out the light so we could experience what it had been like in that cave during the times of Huckleberry and Tom. I felt my Dad’s arms going around the shoulder’s of me and my sister. The lights went out. Slowly I raised my hand to my face. I couldn’t see one thing. It was utter darkness. Then the guide struck a match. Suddenly, just from that little flame, we could make out dark images and outlines of all the people in our group. It was a relief when the lights were turned on again.
I’ve never forgotten that experience. It especially comes to mind whenever I come upon the verse in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” I have met people over the years who suffer a low self-esteem. They feel they have nothing to offer. Perhaps they have failed over and over again. Why would God use them, they wonder. Does that describe anyone reading this?
Do you know it’s the enemy, Satan, who schemes to keep you feeling like a nothing? Do you know it’s Jesus who so loved you, counting you as a valued treasure, that He died in your place, not only to pay the punishment of your sins, but to make you brand new all over? In the eyes of God you are most precious indeed. Sure, you still make mistakes; we all do, but never forget, with every step you take, focusing on Jesus and His ways, you’re taking on the family resemblance a little more each day.
It was Jesus Himself who spoke those words about letting your light shine in Matthew 5:16. When you have the Holy Spirit within, at first, as a baby Christian, you may only have a match stick of light to shine, but oh, how it can light the way. Those around you in utter darkness can see the truth of Jesus when you strike your match stick. Go ahead, let your light shine, and show someone that Jesus is indeed, “the way, the truth, and the life,” and no one comes to the Father except by Him (John 14:6).
When you strike your matchstick, desiring to honor Jesus, your light will grow stronger and brighter, bringing great joy to yourself and giving hope to someone still in darkness.
Imagine someone desiring to learn the art of painting portraits. Imagine they go to watch a master artist at work. The artist takes a blank canvas and begins to cover it in paint. Imagine the student growing impatient. “When will it look like a person?” the student asks. “Just wait,” the artist replies as he continues his work adding a few shades of paint here and more there. He sketches a vague outline. “This doesn’t look like anything special,” the student says in frustration. “Just wait,” the artist replies again.” Imagine the frustrated student gives up, walks away while stating, “I’m not waiting any longer.” Imagine the artist was Leonardo Da Vinci and the painting was the Mona Lisa.
Waiting is one of the hardest things for the human to master. We want things now. For the Christian it’s no different. We know the promises of God. We know He said He has plans for us, good plans to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). We are delighted with such promises, but like the student painter, we grow restless. “When will plans be revealed to me?” we ask our Father. “Just wait,” comes His reply. He goes on to say, “Be of good courage and I will strengthen your heart” (Psalm 27:14). Hopefully, for our own good, and to have God’s own joy alive in our being, to rest in His peace, and to face each day with His courage, we will wait. As the old hymn says, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.”
We don’t have to wait. We can go our own way and perhaps find some level of joy and satisfaction in life. We can find success and feel an amount of peace inside. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there, we mull over the matter in our questioning minds. Yes, we have the right to go our own way, but we must think carefully before putting God’s plans aside. Since our loving Heavenly Father is our Master Artist, designing the best portrait of our lives, let us wait through the hard and unwanted times, the dull and mundane days, the scary and heartbreaking moments, for in every stroke, He is painting a masterpiece to the glory of His Son and to the greatest of joy for you and me.
It’s true we don’t have to wait for who knows how long — but we’ll miss the Mona Lisa.
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