Walking by Faith One Day at a Timeनमुना

Tested Waters

While on vacation to Maui (one of the Hawaiian Islands), our family decided to take the infamous road to Hanna, a winding two lane road that meanders along the Pacific coast and up the side of a mountain. The spectacular views from this vantage point offer travelers one breathtaking sight after another.

Along our journey, we approached a sharp bend in the road and noticed a few local residents standing along the edge of a cliff. Curious to know what was captivating these islanders' attention, we pulled the car off the side of the road to get a closer look. We quickly realized these local residents were not there to look, they were there to jump!

In amazement, we watched as these fearless risk-takers jumped through a narrow passageway between jagged rocks and then plummeted into a miniscule pool of water below. It was a suicide mission as far as I was concerned, but to these local adventurers, it was great fun. It was obvious they had done this many times before and knew exactly how, when, and where to jump. As experienced cliff divers, they would have certainly tested the waters before jumping off the cliff the first time.

Sometimes we look at the faith journey of others and think to ourselves: There's no way I could do what they are doing. How can they have so much faith?

We must remember that faith develops over time. If we see someone taking a giant leap of faith, we can be sure that their faith journey has been tested time and time again by taking smaller steps along the way.

Even the apostles asked to have their faith increased, and they were with Jesus every day. As Jesus' constant companions, they saw Him perform miracles firsthand, and yet they still had moments of doubt and uncertainty.

Jesus compares our faith to a mustard seed. Mustard seeds are very tiny when they are first planted, yet they develop into sizable bushes when mature. Like mustard seeds, when we give God even a little bit of our faith, He takes what we have and helps it grow and mature.

God increases our faith through tests and trials. These faith builders help prepare us to fulfill God's plan and purpose throughout our lives.

And like those local cliff divers, the Lord gives us plenty of opportunities to test the waters before He asks us to jump all the way in.

Life Application

What is the most daring thing you have ever done? What lessons did you take away from that experience?

Prayer

Lord, you call us to be bold in our faith, to step out of our comfort zone, and to live a life of adventure with you. When fear begins to creep in and I am tempted to play it safe, help me to remember that through your strength, I can do all things. Amen.