“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

“Frogs are made for leaping, while humans don’t seem quite as, well, springy. To us, a leap of faith can look like a solo bungee jump without a net-and who wants a crash landing? But a leap of faith never takes us beyond the reach of God’s loving arms. The God of the universe, who gives life and faith, is not going to abandon us during times of growth and challenge. God is with us all the way! That calls for leaping.” (Laurie Hanson. The Funny Shape of Faith: Devotions for the Rest of Us (Kindle Edition.)

You Don’t Need Frog’s Legs to Leap for G-d

You do not need frog’s legs to take a leap of faith. You only need the will and the trust to take the first jump. I remember going camping as a kid right after the movie Jaws came out in theaters. Our camp site was next to several other families we all knew – and our sites had a large creek running by with a deep hole for swimming. All of the kids had seen the movie, and no one was willing to be the first to jump into the swimming hole, to take a leap of faith because of that movie and the famous shark. I know someone braver than I did in fact go into the water eventually and soon all of us were jumping into the water.

Faith can sometimes feel as if you are jumping into shark infested waters. Believing on things we cannot see and trusting our G-d who is more mysterious than tangible can leave us all feeling a little jittery once in a while. But through the Holy Spirit we learn to take those leaps as our trust and faith grows throughout our lives. It is the Holy Spirit that not only gives us the courage to take those leaps of faith, but also propels us to do acts of love in the name of that same faith.

Remember, you do not need frogs legs to take a leap of faith – only the willingness to jump.

Let us pray,

Oh Lord of leaping, we don’t want to tiptoe or to run in place for our faith. Give me the faith and the trust to leap into action to serve you and others! Amen.

Pastor Dave