Go Ahead And Jump! *

 On a recent trip back to my hometown of Knoxville, my mind returned to the day a highschool friend said,'' let's go cliff jumping.” We hopped in my ‘67 convertible Mustang and he gave directions as we wound around country roads to the jumping place. As I walked toward the edge and looked over, I was filled with simultaneous fear and exhilaration. The fear came from both the height and a traumatic experience in a diving class as a child, in which I did a painful back flop. Finally, it was time to take the leap. I had watched the old movies of people who were escaping their enemies jumping with reckless abandon from a cliff into a river in order to survive. But there were no enemies here, just the opportunity to experience an instant of Earth’s gravity’s tremendous 9.8 meters per second squared accelerational pull on my body until hitting water. Hitting water at that speed feels like concrete on impact if you hit flat footed, which, by the way, I did on the first jump. However, something in me wanted to do it again. So I did, but made sure I pointed my toes on entry! Twice more from 40 feet up! The adrenaline rush was addicting. Then we rode home, wet hair drying quickly in the summer heat, in my top down mustang, still tingling all over from the experience. I would like to say that was the last time I jumped from a high place into water, but it wasn’t. In spite of my father’s warnings I did not turn down other opportunities to feel the whoosh of air from the exhilarating speed and the sudden splash into the water. As a physician who had seen the unfortunate accidents that can occur, my father continued to warn me. As a boy, when I would do something silly because “everyone else was doing it,” my mother used to ask, “if everyone jumps off a bridge, are you going to do it too?” I guess the answer was “yes,” because in college, my cheerleader friends asked me to go jump off the Keowee Toxaway Bridge in South Carolina. So, I did. It was just as exhilarating.

I took a similar leap when I finally, after almost a decade of running from God, answered His call to ministry. I had many fears: fear of a boring life (it has been anything but boring), fear of disappointing God with my failure (I have failed many times and He has never abandoned me, though thankfully, He often corrects me), fear of perhaps not being able to provide for my family (He has always provided), fear of rejection by people (some have, but God has never rejected me) and the list of fears go on. However, the exhilaration of belonging to God and joining Him in what He is doing in the lives of His people is a blessed addiction. Jesus says in the sermon on the mount: “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.”(Luke 6:22–23 ESV) If you see God at work, jump in and join Him. Take that joyful leap. The thrill of belonging to and being of service to the God who spoke everything into existence is overwhelming. Being a part of His work in people’s lives is a great privilege. So, go ahead and jump!

Hang in there people! God is glad to be with us! I’m praying for us all!