They arrived at the small field at the top of the cliff - five, rather excited, teenage boys. It was so hot that day, they could hardly wait. Among them, the most anxious was Bill, it was his first time coming up here. He had heard of this place numerous times but today, today was the very first time he was asked to go.
As the boys quickly slipped off their shoes and shirts, the excitement in the air grew as their voices grew louder. John was the first to make the run. He ran, full speed, towards the cliff edge and leaped off the edge with loud yell. He seemingly hung there in the air for a moment before gravity took over and down he plunged the 40 feet into the waiting pool of cool water below.
Those still atop the small cliff cheered and laughed as John hit the water, dove down into it and quickly popped back up. Then, after some playful pushing, they too ran towards the edge and leaped off one after the other: George, Tommy and then Steven each in turn. Caught up in the excitement and anticipation, Bill ran to the edge and...stopped.
He stopped at the edge and peered over the side. Sure, forty feet was not really that high but looking down from it, it seemed like miles above the deep pool below. He stared and watched as the last boy, Steven, popped back up after his dive. Questions started to enter his mind. He wondered about how to best jump off. Should he leap from both feet or should he take off from either his left or right foot first? Which of his legs was the stronger and would propel him the furthest out and up before his dive? And what of the dive itself - what form should he take? Should he free fall feet first, nose plugged or is the classic, head first dive his best option? Then simple questions began to turn into doubts as He wondered if he could jump far enough out, even though it was a straight cliff face. What if the a strong wind came and pushed him into the cliff? Worse yet, what if it pushed him to the shallow edge of the pool and instead of deep water he hit the shallows and hard stone?
As each question ran through his mind, Bill stepped backwards away from the edge and now strained his neck to see the boys playing in the water below. They called out him, urging him on. Telling him great the water is and how good it felt in the July heat of the day. They reassured him it was okay, and two even confessed to having been nervous their first time over. John even tried calling him chicken, hoping to make he defiant enough to make the leap. But the longer he stood there, frozen in place at the edge of the cliff, the less and less he heard their voices and the more he heard all the doubts and questions which filled his mind, questions now mixed with a building regret for not jumping in the first place. Bill felt sick in his heart for he knew he had to jump - he has to do this - but now doubts and fears filled his mind and he wondered how, how could he do this. How?
How amazing it is when God puts a calling on someone's life and they spring into action, throwing all caution to the wind for they know Who is waiting for them in the place they are diving into head first. They hit the ground running and seem to never falter for even a moment. Even when they hit seemingly insurmountable walls, they barely break stride as they drive forward.
It is amazing when we see that happen, but it is not what always happens. Sometimes, sometimes we hear His call and we excitedly answer but when it comes to taking the leap into the unknown, we falter. We hesitate for a moment. Sometimes, that is all it is, a mere moment before jumping off but other times, other times that hesitation turns into being frozen in place - unable to take the leap and yet knowing we cannot go back. And even worse is that sick feeling that begins to rise inside of us as we stand at the edge, unable to dive wholeheartedly into whatever it is He has called to.
Faith. Faith is confidence that our hope is not in vain and being sure of things we cannot see (Heb. 11:1). When God calls us, all we know is just that: He called us. We cannot see the journey ahead nor where it will go nor anything else. He knows all this, but we don't. All we know is that He called us.
We can try and wait until "everything is perfect" but as each thing falls into place, be sure there will be more issues show up and more doubts and more fears. Everything is not going to be all lined up perfectly before we move. If it were, it would require no faith at all to do. None. And God calls us to answer Him and follow into the unknown, just because of who He is - in spite of fears, in spite of doubts, in spite of everything else our senses and minds may try and tell us - to trust in Him, that He knows what He is doing and that He did not make a mistake in calling us.
Sometimes you just have to jump off the cliff.
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