It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. HEBREWS 11:8 (NLT)

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Someone said once upon a time, “You cannot stay where you are and get where you’re going.” This truth is self-evident. Why then can Jerry Jones not see that he needs the assistance of a seasoned General Manager to make on-field personnel decisions for the Cowboys?

A young man stood on top of a telephone pole. He was thirty feet or so in the air. He wanted down. There was only one way down, but he did not want to take it. 

We were at a ropes course where people participate in team-building exercises. Confidence is built as individuals attempt exercises and activities that stretch them to their limits. This was one of the more extreme activities.

A safety harness is strapped onto each participant. A rope tethers the climber to someone on the ground who is specially trained for these events to prevent participants from experiencing injury. Be that as it may, there is still an overload of anxiety as a person climbs a telephone pole for the first time and attempts to stand on top of it without falling off.

Once this neat trick is mastered, the next step is to leap from the top of the pole to catch a large hula-hoop-sized ring. Remember, there are a safety harness and a rope and a promise that you will not fall to the ground. 

This young man climbed the pole, stood on top, and stopped all progress. For the next hour, he stood there trying to decide whether to jump, how to do it, and if it was okay if Jesus returned to earth at that moment and eliminated the need for him to jump. 

Jesus tarried.

What would you do?

What are you doing? 

Each of us has a telephone pole we have climbed. We know we cannot get where we want to go if we stay where we are. And yet we find ourselves paralyzed, unable to move one way or another. 

We become paralyzed by analysis: “I need more information.” We become paralyzed by fear of what is behind us, or what is before us. We become paralyzed by the conflicting instructions people try to give us while we are standing thirty feet from exhilaration or death.

Where do you want to go today? Where is God leading you today? 

Abraham had to let go of all that was familiar, everything he called home, to get where God wanted him to go. Abraham packed up his life’s possessions and hit the trail. It was an act of faith to step onto the road unseen. He had to trust the one who could see what he could not. Abraham leaped. 

Our friend on top of the pole finally jumped about the time I was going to climb up and push him off. He missed the ring. He hung the air for a moment, the shock of it all registering on his face, the delight of not dying bringing a smile. As he was lowered to the ground, his adrenaline pumped so fast that he asked quite breathlessly, “Can I do it again? I know what to do now!”

Maybe you took a leap one time and missed. Did you quit, or did you try again? Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn. What did you learn that you can apply to improve your chances of success next time? When will you schedule your next leap?

You cannot stay where you are and get where God wants you to go. He will not let you fall. He will help you begin again more intelligently. He will take you on a breathtaking journey. If he says, “Jump,” leap into your Father’s arms. Enjoy the warm embrace and loving laughter. 

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I will jump.

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Our Father, I want to have the confidence in you little children have in their daddies when they leap into their arms. I want to jump when you say “Jump!” I want to know the exhilaration of faith in action. I want to laugh with you. I want to succeed and I want to learn. You know the way you want me to go. You lead and I will follow. Amen.