Don't Jump?

Cave Point Park in Door County is worth the drive and time to get there (and it is free!). As we explored the first bit of the park, we saw three young men in swimming trunks standing at the precipice of an abyss yet unknown to us. Drawing closer to the edge, we could see a pool of water provided by Lake Michigan.

Amazingly, we also saw one of the young men do a somersault into the shallow pool about 18 feet below. As he stood after the plunge, I could see that the water was a mere 3.5 feet deep! As well, there were rocks in that clear water. If the jumper misjudged, a rock could clearly ruin his day (week, year, life...). Additionally, there was another pool of water surrounded by underwater boulders a bit farther out to sea that required a leap. One of the jumpers preferred this landing spot.

Of course, that brought me back to my first attempt at a sabbatical eight years ago when I jumped off a 35 foot cliff into the Colorado River and broke three vertebrae. Thankfully that only ruined my summer and not my life. As I peered over the edge of this 18 foot drop, Kathy said, "Don't even think about it." And I thought about all the people who, humorously, told me before going on sabbatical not to jump off any cliffs this time.

So I didn't. I climbed down some rocks to the edge of Lake Michigan and was rewarded with all varieties of coastline--caves, boulders, sand--different around every corner. Now it is only five days to the end of my sabbatical, and I have only to survive a long weekend at my sister's lake home in northern Minnesota.

Don't jump. But we do. I recall Peter stepping out onto the Sea of Galilee. It was a leap of faith. Abraham and Sarah's jump from a secure home to wandering towards an unknown home is well documented in the Bible. As a teenager, Mary, mother of Lord, needed a huge leap of faith in her journey to motherhood.

Are we still jumping into sometimes turbulent water in our journey of faith? Sometimes the water seems too shallow, other times too dark and deep. Do rocks surround the safe pool of water in which to land? Are the risks too great?

The risks are too great for some. They would rather rely on their own strengths. Someday, however, the strengths of any one person will erode. What we need is a pool of faith. We know who can provide that. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, lest anyone should boast."

Join in the water--sometimes turbulent water, sometimes as graceful as the waters of baptism. It is a great swim...