I was twelve and headed into middle school. We were in the middle of the Appalachian mountains, at a Bible college in West Virginia. Rock climbing, rappelling, rafting for Jesus. I was in the middle of a log slung between two trees and the best way for me to get down, was to fall. Cross my arms over my chest, and tip my body backward. Trust that the rope was going to catch me. Racking sobs followed a very brave tipping backward. You have to trust that the rope is going to do what it is there for. You have to have faith in the rope. Then: Fall.
They don’t tell you, in the devotional around the camp fire when you recount your heroing tail, that in life you don’t get to choose when your falling. You don’t always get to steady yourself and take a deep breath before you pitch yourself over the edge. Sometimes you get pushed, sometimes the platform you were expecting is pulled from under you, sometimes you look around and realize you have been falling for a while. There isn’t always, before that fall, the chance to take a breath and decide that you do trust the rope, that there is faith that the rope will catch you.
But it isn’t in the fall or even the moment before the fall that you decide to put your faith in that rope. It is the moment, on the ground, before the adventure begins, when you hitch your harness to the rope and tell your guide you are ready. That is the moment you have chosen what you trust in when you fall.
I am linking up with Lisa-Jo Baker’s Five Minute Friday. Check it out!
Abby Norman 
Love this…there is such truth in making that choice to trust before we even begin the adventure. Beautiful perspective…thank you for sharing! Happy Friday to you! 🙂
it’s the learning to trust part that is where I’ve just been. I’m a bit on the other side now, the trusting is easier, but still, I hesitate sometimes….I learn again and again, how to just, lean back–to just let go… Blessings from Five Minute Friday.
Oh I would have been so nervous…good for you!
“There isn’t always, before that fall, the chance to take a breath and decide that you do trust the rope, that there is faith that the rope will catch you.” I loved this, especially since I feel as if I’ve been falling for years! Blessings!
That was really well written. I felt like I was there, falling with you. Thank you for sharing this beautiful perspective and reminder of how important practicing trust is in the easy times!
Tina @ Mommynificent
Oh how I wish we got to chose when we would fall. But then again would we ever chose to fall and without the fall would the faith be there. Thank you for sharing
Real faith is picking yourself back up knowing there’s more goodness in the next step. Love this — it is similar to what I wrote about today. Blessings girl!
Abby,
I think there have been times when I have fallen and even trusting I hit the ground and hit it hard. It has been then that I had to ask was what I was trusting in worth it; was it the right thing? I know the answer is that God is worth it; but I also have learned that sometimes He has let me hit the ground. Why? sometimes I know it because of a lesson I needed to learn and sometimes I know not the reason and even if I did I most likely would not like the knowing. I still know and believe regardless of the falling and regardless if I do or do not hit the ground that I must cling to the rope that is tied to God for where else will I go?
“It is the moment, on the ground, before the adventure begins.” Your words come with perfect timing. God is leading me to new adventures and the encouragement here to trust Him in the moment before my adventure begins was needed. Blessings. Beth
I am so glad I came to your blog, what a huge blessing!! This post was so lovely and it blessed me!
Ashley from http://theheartofashley.blogspot.com/
Beautifuly post! Although it brought me to tears remembering our fall a little over a year ago when my then 3 year old was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. We still have faith that God is catching us and has a plan! Thank you so much for writing this! 🙂
wow wow wow girl! What a perspective! I really loved this and it moved me to tears. So happy to meet you!
Visiting from FMF.
Love, Traci Michele @ Ordinary Inspirations
http://www.ordinaryinspirations.blogspot.com