The story opens: It was a dark and stormy night.
A man was walking along a seaside cliff.
He was unfamiliar with the path and didn't know that a part of it had crumbled away.
He stepped onto the crumbled bank and found himself sliding down the edge of the cliff.
He was frantically scratching and grabbing for anything to grasp to stop his fall, and finally he grabbed onto a small root protruding from the face of the cliff.
He was hanging on for dear life.
Because it was a dark night, he couldn't see the sky or the water below.
But he could hear the sound of the crashing waves on the rocks below.
Soon, his fingers grew tired and so he cried out, "God, please help me! Rescue me! Help me!"
In a few moments God said to the man, "Let go of the root and trust me."
"No, God! I can't do that.
I've got to hang on for dear life!"
Again, he heard the voice, "I am the truth and the life.
Let go and trust me."
But the man continued to hang on with all of his might.
His fingers were aching, and his arms began to cramp.
Finally, with sweat filling his eyes, he said, "Okay, God.
I'll let go and trust you."
He released the root and fell...four inches onto a wide, rock path right below his feet all along.
He felt like such a fool.
He had been straining and holding on for dear life when safety was just below his feet.
Only when he let go of his own efforts did he learn that God could be trusted.
Many people still try to experience salvation by holding on to their own efforts, yet salvation only comes by resting ... resting in Christ ... the Lord of the Sabbath.
So, ... stop trying ... start trusting!