Finding the courage to leap

I had a decision to make, but no courage to do it. So I went for a walk to think things through. But as I did, a squirrel hopped beside me from tree to tree. Then it leapt out into space, its little arms flailing. It wanted to reach a tree on the other side.

I stopped to watch, holding my breath. Would it make it? Would the branch break? Would it fall to its death?

It managed to grab hold of the tip of a branch. The branch sagged, but the squirrel pulled itself up. It scurried off… This was a message for me. Courage wasn’t a feeling. It was a choice. It counted the cost, but still took the first step. So I hurried back home and made that phone call. God kept me safe…

(photo by Catherine Dempsey: ww.pexels.com)

Do you see?

Sometimes we feel invisible. We want others to see us, to understand us. We drop hints, but they don’t seem to hear.

We try to become visible by shouting out. But there is another way and one I keep forgetting – that my visibleness doesn’t depend on others. It depends on whether I see myself.

God “created [my] inmost being,” (Psalm 139:13) and he says that I am “precious and honoured in his sight.” (Isaiah 43:4) Can I see what God sees in me? Can I say, “That is me”?

It is scary to walk in a visibleness that others might not see. But God says, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.” (Isaiah 43:5) He sees and we can see.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash