Just Let Go !

In my younger years I thought it would be an exciting adventure to try sky diving. After checking into it, I found I could get a big discount if I brought 5 friends to jump with me . . . so I did.

It was a beautiful sunny day in California when we arrived for a half day training and then an afternoon jump. We practiced by jumping out onto a foam pad. It was important to go "spread eagle" and count to 10. Since we were on a static line, the parachute would automatically open on the count of 10. If there was no chute by the count of 10 then we would apply emergency procedures to open the chute.

When it was finally time to board the airplane we climbed in one at a time and hooked up our static lines. I happened to be the last one in which meant I would be the first one out. There was no door on the side of the plane and I was sitting on the edge looking straight down and holding on to the door jam. As the plane took off, I remember thinking that if I fell out on takeoff, the parachute would do me no good at all. But I put the thought out of my mind and waited for my chance to jump.

When the instructor told me to take my position I stood up in the doorway thinking how exhilarating it would to "fly like and eagle". The instructor shouted, "Jump"! I saw that we were over a neighborhood and the thought flashed through my mind that we were in the wrong place and that perhaps we were not high enough. So I hesitated for just a moment. The instructor was not a patient man though and slapped me hard on the back and shouted, "Jump"! That actually knocked me off balance and so instead of jumping, I tried to catch my balance but ended up falling part way out of the plane and grabbed hold of the wing strut with my feet still in the plane.

I couldn’t get back in the plane and I couldn’t jump! I shouted to the instructor, "What should I do"?! And his incredulous voice shouted back, "JUST LET GO"! So I let go and fell like a rock. There was no glorious eagle soaring. There was no exhilarating victory. Just a falling rock.

Afterwards, I reflected that so many things in our walk with Jesus are like that. We have glorious plans of what we will do for the Lord, but in the end, we just have to JUST LET GO and let God get the glory. No glorious accolades or pomp and circumstance for us. Just The Lord getting it done for us . . . and I wouldn’t have it any other way.