"Going out on a limb."
Whoever came up with that expression painted an incredibly vivid picture. The limb of a tree is never as stable as the trunk. It is more prone to sway in the wind and to break under heavy weight. But pretend for a moment that you are little again. If you were like me as a crazy youngster, trees were your jungle gym while you pretended to be a monkey. They were the cabinets of your cottage while playing house. They were a place to leave your mark in the form of carved initials. They provided new perspective when you wanted to hang upside down. You were not afraid to go out on those shaky limbs (although your mother told you not to) because your imagination was too compelling. You desired exploration!
Now coming back to present day...why wouldn't we treat the metaphorical limbs in our lives as such?
It is often so hard to leave our comfort zones and "go out on a limb," but we have an incredible God who meets us where we are and will help stall the wind and relieve the weight when we do! This weekend I was faced with a decision to make. By saying yes, I thought I would be stepping out onto a branch too thin to hold me. But I sat down with the Lord and asked for guidance. He reminded me to be confident in the fact that once He has begun a good work in me, He will carry it on to completion as it says in Philippians 1:6.
I read that verse and thought, "okay yeah that's true, but I'm afraid." And I can imagine the Lord chuckling as he allowed my fingers to find an old page in my journal. Right in the middle of the paper was 1 John 4:18 which reads, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear..." What is there to be afraid or worried of when God's love is covering us?
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31
The Lord guided me into to saying yes and following him out on a shaky limb just as Peter did when Jesus called him to walk out on the water. My prayer is that I will focus my eyes ahead and on God rather than looking below me and becoming fearful of falling. I wish to have the giddiness of a child in a tree who is unafraid of the branches set before them, but willing to explore them!
