Fine Print: Die Daily — Monday
Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.“ (NIV)
Bible college gives you a chance to take unique classes. One of those “unique classes” I had the opportunity to take was a class called Adventure-Based Christian Education. It’s a fancy name that essentially meant we spent our class time crawling through caves, hiking, rock climbing, canoeing, and other outdoor activities. I made a lot of memories in that class, but one day stands out… the day we went rappelling.
We were taken through the steps of tying off our ropes, how to use the carabiners, and the concepts of rappelling. Then it came time to go. We were all standing atop a natural stone overhang about 50 feet from the ground. I was the first one called on to go. I double-checked my rope and gear, backed up toward the edge, and then froze. If you’ve never been rappelling before, there’s one specific moment at the very top that is, by far, the scariest. It’s the moment when you have to stand on the edge and then (against your better judgment) lean backward. It’s at that exact moment you have to let go and put all your trust into the rope. So as I stood there on the edge (and with only a little bit of verbal chastizing from my classmates), I made the decision to lean backward. Against every ounce of common sense, I leaned back over the edge and let the rope hold me.
To this day, it’s amazing to me that the scariest and most memorable act of rappelling isn’t the act of sliding down a cliff face or walking down the side of a mountain. It’s the simple first step of leaning.
And if I’m honest, that’s also the single hardest part of following Christ. When He says to deny yourself, He’s simply asking you to lean. Lean into His arms. Let Him take control and simply follow Him. It might not seem like a monumental step. But I can promise you two things: First, leaning into Him is never easy. Second, it will be the most amazing thing you’ve ever done.
Monday’s Reflection
What are you holding on to, and where do you need to let go? Make the decision this week to deny that impulse and lean over that edge and into Jesus’ arms.