2014—looks to be an interesting year.
That being said, I am reminded of a joke.
This guy falls off a cliff and on his way to sudden death he grabs onto the snag of a dead tree rooted in the rocky face. Saved for the moment but knowing it will only delay the inevitable, he looks up to the sky and cries out for help only to hear from none other than God Himself.
“Oh God, please help me!” The man says.
A booming voice from Heaven answers, “Do you trust me?”
“Is that you God?”
“Yes. Do you trust me?”
A rock breaks loose and plummets to the valley floor below; the snag shifts in his hand.
“Yes! I trust you!”
“Completely?”
The man thinks for a second, staring down at what will soon be his final destination. “Yes! Completely!”
“Then let go of the tree.”
The air stills to a deathly quiet as the man considers his options. Out of hopeful desperation he replies, “Is there anybody else up there?”

Too often I am that guy.
If life is measured in inches then the 18 inches from my head to my heart is the hardest journey for ‘my faith’ to travel. Simply put, the transformation of head knowledge to heart conviction is the most difficult journey of all.
Wouldn’t it be great if every morning at 8 o’clock sharp, over a cup of coffee and a cream cheese smothered bagel, God would sit across the table from me with His perfect unalterable plan for my day?—maybe even my life.
Okay, so that isn’t going to happen. I’m not even sure God likes bagels—or coffee.
Why is it that in this very moment, after 40 years of walking with Jesus, I still find myself in a fetal state of doubting God?
Maybe I live too much in ‘the moment’—in this life—with a limited glimpse of eternity.
Maybe outside ‘the moment’, above the smog of circumstance that blurs the vision of my faith, maybe in that place of clarity I can find the sense of strength to fulfill my life’s verse: “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 GNT.
In this year of 2014 I will reach deep within myself to rise above ‘the moment’ with a commitment to faith that only God can give.
In the beauty and mystery of human existence, may each of us strive in anticipation of God’s perfect plan for our lives.
“I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.” Jeremiah 29:11 GNT