Lean Over the Edge

One summer during college I was faced with a bit of a challenge.  As a part of a group that I was in we did a day of team building at a high ropes course.  I should mention that I’ve afraid of heights.  I actually had no problem climbing up the rock wall.  I just didn’t look down the entire time.

Once I got to the top the only way down was a zip line that soared high above the trees before finally descending to the ground.  To get onto the zip line you sat on the edge, they hooked you up to the line on your harness, and then you had to lean out, let yourself fall a little and the line would catch you.

And to me, that was the terrifying part.  The idea of leaning over and essentially letting myself fall left me shaking.  I had a completely visceral reaction.  When it was my turn to do it I made my way over to the edge and just sat there shaking and thinking I was going to vomit.

After sitting there a few minutes I finally did it.  I leaned out and let myself fall.  The line did catch me and I speeding off down the line to the ground.

So what does this have to do with commitment?  Well, a lot actually.

According to dictionary.com one of the definitions of commit is “to give in trust or charge“.  By leaning over and letting myself fall off of that platform I was trusting that those lines and my harness would hold me.  I was also trusting those running the course that they would take care of me and ensure my safety.

And so it is with God.

When I read Proverbs 16-20 this week as a part of my Good Morning Girls Bible reading the verse that most stuck out to me was Proverbs 16:3-

And my head started to churn over that word commit.  Amongst all my thoughts on commitment I thought of those who struggle with fear of commitment.  I wonder sometimes why it is so hard for people to commit, especially to a relationship and beyond the issue of being tied down to someone or something I think it actually goes deeper to the issue of having to trust someone or something.

I have this struggle too.  We have all been hurt at one time or another so it’s hard to sometimes give ourselves and our lives over in trust.

So when I see the instruction in Proverbs to commit whatever I do to God I feel like it’s saying “give whatever you do to God in trust“.  Give it to him to take care of.  And in the second part of the verse it clearly states that he will take care of it-  whatever it is.

Sometimes committing whatever we do to God can mean letting go of our hopes and dreams for something.  And sometimes it can mean chasing those hopes and dreams.  But that means scooting over to the edge, sitting down, leaning out, and letting ourselves fall so that he can catch us and take us where we need to go.

Do you have any big plans or dreams that you’re struggling to trust God to take care of?  Even knowing God for years and knowing that he is trustworthy still makes this difficult for me.  What about you?