Trusting and Testing

And he took Him to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to Him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, 'He will command His angels concerning you, to guard you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"  And Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test."'  ~Luke 4:9-12

Standing on a chair, high up on the stage, I was supposed to fall backwards into the arms of my teammates who were waiting to catch me. 
Not an easy assignment.  In my heart I actually wanted to do it, but my flesh wasn't so willing to let me go.  I got down off the chair, said a quick prayer, then stepped back up.  For me, it was an obedience thing, as well as an opportunity to set an example.  Mac gave an instruction to all of us, and none of us was expected to decline.

The question was: Do you trust your teammates?  My question was: Do I trust God?  Not the way the devil tested God, but the way the Lord trusted Him.  Jesus knew that His Father had a plan and a purpose for Him to fulfill.  He also knew a bit about the nature of things.

A few of the students had a tough time with the assignment (the Trust Fall).  As they were coached, the question was asked, "Do you trust your teammates?...  Do you trust ____,  ____,  etc.?"  I kept thinking, "Do you trust God?  I did it because I trust God."  In the beginning, my problem was that I didn't trust myself.  "What if I don't fall correctly?  What if I mess up?"  For me, it was about overcoming my flesh, and trusting the Spirit of God.  About letting go of what I could feel (the chair under my feet), and falling into the arms waiting to catch me.  Trusting them was the easy part... I had several strong guys standing behind me.

Later on, I considered whether it was right to require a group like ours to do a Trust Fall.  And to persist, making sure that everyone does it.  I thought of the the way we were assembled below to catch the one who would fall... how we positioned our arms, how we stood in the right formation.  What's interesting is that Almighty God created our bodies in such a way that when we are in that position and that formation, (all of the elements thoughtfully considered), we are able to catch a falling body, big or small, without letting it drop.  In fact, as I was caught, I felt as light as a pencil.  It was really very cool.

"Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.  Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.  For Your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness."  ~Psalm 26:1-3

I guess the real question is, do we trust the guy who asked us to do this Fall?  He is the one who is responsible for any damage that might be done (i.e. Charlie's nose.)  He's the one responsible for considering all that can go wrong...  Do I trust Mac?  Well... I trust that the Spirit of the Living God is at work in him... that He loves Jesus.  His words and deeds show that he is a follower of Christ.  He's a risk-taker, but he's also a man of integrity and honor.  Apparently, though, Jon Taylor is another story...  ;) 


*photo credit: miss melinda @ fine as frog hair :)