Go Ahead and Fly!

I remember when the girls were little and Roger would toss them in the air. They would squeal with delight - the freedom of flight, he called it. They could do this because he never missed. They never fell. Not once. His strong arms were always there to catch them. A little toss at first, then gradually they wanted more and more - especially in the pool! I can still hear the squeals of delight. 

He did not like for me to toss them in the air though...not strong enough...they might be heavier than I expected.  But I never would have played "toss" without knowing that I could catch them.  We played 'airplane" - closer to the ground, but both games still required faith. 

That's one of the great things about children. They are so trusting, until life teaches them not to be. It is much harder as an adult to be completely trusting.  Roger loved teaching children. He had so much fun with his Bible Question of the Week - his way of getting them to think about the Bible all week long. Ok - candy was involved, but they rushed back in the Sunday School door  to see who could be first with the answer! He stuck with it too, even when the joy of teaching had left me due to changes in our lives and probably from becoming overextended as well.  I was guilty of hitting that wall where those with a high calling had disappointed us and disillusionment tried to take hold. Roger stood strong. It was one of those times, when his faith kept me going. 

I heard a song this afternoon that I had not heard for years, maybe even decades. We used to sing it all the time when the girls were little, so when the melody came on, I immediately knew the lyrics. Memory - intact! 

Back in the day, when we first started teaching the girls about God and Jesus and faith, this song had a different meaning. It was about the future and how you can always trust Jesus. It spoke to that childlike faith. 

Wow...such a simple thing, right? Child-like faith.

Years pass and God allows opportunities to test that faith. If you are lucky, it is in small ways - well, small ways that seem like big ways along the way, but in hind-sight, small ways.  
Then BAM
Something really big - your world is shaken and changed within moments.

God has been good these past months. Perhaps because of times of testing through the years, it
has not been as hard to trust that God has things under control - most of the time it is not hard, at least. 

Roger's Lesson:  I always told you that faith works.  We sang this song a lot. It still means the same thing. You just see it in a deeper way now. 

I know - and it does have a much deeper and richer meaning these days.

That's What Faith Must Be 
Michael Card

To hear with my heart , to see with my soul
To be guided by a hand I cannot hold
To trust in a way that I cannot see
That's what faith must be.

When the universe fell from His fingertips
He decided He wanted some fellowship
But the man and the woman would not submit
So He made a better way

When the moment was right He sent His own Son
And He opened the way so that everyone
Could have hope and believe that when time was done
He'd be able to make us one

Now I understand that there is a key
It's Jesus in me, a reality
That God is in Christ and that Christ's in me
That with faith I see what is unseen

To hear with my heart , to see with my soul
To be guided by a hand I cannot hold
To trust in a way that I cannot see
That's what faith must be.

When time was done....Roger's time....my time....your time.  Individual decisions, but He made a way.  Wow - profound, and so much more meaningful today. 

That's What Faith Must Be by Michael Card

Here's the link in case you have forgotten the song. Just don't forget the message.
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