is anyone else up there?
fall is the one time during the year that i always find myself withdrawing and facing inward. i get especially introspective with the changing of this season for some reason. it might be preparing for the cold, or the shedding of the leaves. whatever it is, i do my best thinking in the fall.
on my mind lately has been the concept of faith. i've written about faith before here, but it's not something that comes up as often as it probably should. partly because i've never had a moment that shakes my faith to its core. it's been a constant in my life since i was young, and so it isn't something i examine very often. now, i'm not complaining about this. i feel so lucky that i have a strong faith. but it's been on my mind nonetheless.in church the other day, one of the deacons gave the sermon. he told a story that has not left my mind since that day, and it made me feel like i'm headed in the right direction.
there was once a man who fell off of a cliff. as he was falling he put out his hand and grabbed onto a branch sticking out of the side of the cliff. as he hung there, clinging to the branch for dear life, he yelled out, "is anyone up there?" God answered him and said, "I am here. I will take care of you. do you believe in me?" the man said, "yes, Lord, i believe in You more than anything. i believe You can save me from this!" God replied, "then let go of the branch and I will save you." the man was quiet for a long time, and then yelled out again, "is there anyone ELSE up there??"
it's funny, right?! i think it is, mostly because it hits so close to home. just like that man, i believe. i believe hard. but belief and faith are two different things. you can believe but never really let go of your own plans for things. you can believe but never really put your full faith in Him. i know that i'd have to think long and hard before letting go of that tree branch and trusting that whatever happened was in His hands. i don't know if i'd have the faith to do it.but what i've been thinking is that i want to be the type of person who could let go of that branch. just close my eyes and unclench my fingers and fall into His plan. i want to have faith like that.it's not about how much i have. faith is faith. you can have faith the size of a mustard seed, or the size of a tree, but faith is faith, and the thing that matters the most is that you have it. we don't all need to be mother teresa or blessed jpII, we just need to strive to find that tiny little spark of faith and grow it. you can do great things with small faith, because faith itself is a great thing.
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don't forget to enter the giveaway that's still going on! i think we all need some coffee to help us finish out the week strong...