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"I stand six steps from the bed's edge. My arms extended. Hands open."

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, When God Whispers Your Name (p. 97). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Max continues his story, “On the bed, Sara—all four years of her—crouches, poised like a playful kitten. She’s going to jump. But she’s not ready. I’m too close.

“’Back more, Daddy,’ she stands and dares. I dramatically comply, confessing admiration for her courage. After two giant steps I stop. ‘More?’ I ask.  ’Yes!’ Sara squeals, hopping on the bed.

“With each step she laughs and claps and motions for more. When I’m on the other side of the canyon, when I’m beyond the reach of mortal man, when I am but a tiny figure on the horizon, she stops me. ‘There, stop there.’

“’Are you sure?’

“’I’m sure,’ she shouts. I extend my arms. Once again she crouches, then springs. Superman without a cape. Skydiver without a chute. Only her heart flies higher than her body. In that airborne instant her only hope is her father. If he proves weak, she’ll fall. If he proves cruel, she’ll crash. If he proves forgetful, she’ll tumble to the hard floor.

“But such fear she does not know, for her father she does. She trusts him. Four years under the same roof have convinced her he is reliable. He is not superhuman, but he is strong. He is not holy, but he is good. He’s not brilliant, but he doesn’t have to be to remember to catch his child when she jumps.  And so she flies. And so she soars. And so he catches her and the two rejoice at the wedding of her trust and his faithfulness.”

Later Max says, “Part of the answer can be found in Sara’s little leaps of faith. Her older sister, Andrea, was in the room watching, and I asked Sara if she would jump to Andrea. Sara refused. I tried to convince her. She wouldn’t budge. ‘Why not?’ I asked.

“‘I only jump to big arms.’ If we think the arms are weak, we won’t jump.”

Max goes on, “For that reason, the Father flexed his muscles. muscles. ‘God’s power is very great for those who believe,’ Paul taught. ‘That power is the same as the great strength God used to raise Christ from the dead (Eph. 1:19–20).

“Next time you wonder if God can catch you, read that verse. The very arms that defeated death are the arms awaiting you.  Next time you wonder if God can forgive you, read that verse. The very hands that were nailed to the cross are open for you.”

Max then says, “And the next time you wonder if you will survive the jump, think of Sara and me. If a flesh-and-bone-headed dad like me can catch his child, don’t you think your eternal Father can catch you?”

Don’t you think?

Yes, yes!
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