Leap of Faith
by Lindsey Hanekom
On a recent outing to a nearby forest theme park I was particularly taken with a certain attraction that was on offer. The ‘Skydive’ is simple enough – don a safety harness (connected to a safety rope), climb the 50 foot mast to a small platform and then step off! The safety rope is connected to a piece of equipment called a descender, which essentially controls your fall so that you won’t hit the ground too hard. Such simplicity is easy to describe but not so easy to accomplish!
I ‘did’ the Skydive a few years ago and remember it well... the climb was fine, standing on the platform was a little more nerve-racking, but then having to step off into thin air goes against all that is rational and intuitive. Fifty feet is a long way down when all there is between you and the ground is open space!
Our conditioning as a person is to protect ourselves from such falls, everything that we have learned in life says, “Don’t do it!” Even having seen many people perform the ‘leap of faith’ previously, it counts for very little once you are up there; such is the strength of our intuition and knowledge that comes from past experience.
As we go through life we develop our own personal set of rules and protective measures, a way of living that keeps us safe from perceived harm. Yet, these ‘rules’ can often be distorted because of the reasons we set up such protective measures. The perceived harm can be based on a lie that then prevents us from experiencing the fullness of joy of life.
If our past experience has told us that a deep, intimate and loving relationship is unsafe then we will set up protective measures around our heart in order to keep the perceived harm away. If we view our attempts at achievement as a road to failure we will pull away from pushing forward in our talents and gifting. The list of protective measures could go on and on!
Are we willing to admit that we may need to take a leap of faith to break through our own protective measures and rely purely on God’s promises? This is what God requires of us. To trust in Him, despite our understanding that is intrinsically linked to past experiences and a well-developed sense of judgement; admitting that our personal understanding can be distorted and our self-protection can be the source of our limited living.
God may well be asking you to step away from everything that makes you feel safe so that your trust in Him can be complete and you can experience the joy and freedom of living in His safety and protection.
Prayer: Father God, reveal to me any self-protection measures I have in my life that are based on a lie and that are preventing me from moving forward in my life. Help me take a leap of faith, knowing that You are my rock of safety. Amen.
Lindsey Hanekom Lindsey has worked at all of our UK centres over the years and has settled at Ellel Scotland with her husband, Johann and their two young children, Kyle and Zoe. As part of the Leadership Team at Ellel Scotland, Lindsey has a heart for the deeply broken as she oversees the prayer ministry and is an established and passionate teacher with Ellel. In her spare time, Lindsey enjoys the natural world, particularly the ocean, and is trained as a specialist medic to assist stranded and injured marine mammals.
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