#Trust  #Empistosyni

I have a bucket list and skydiving is on it. This year I made the brave decision to just go for it.
To literally just take the plunge. The idea was fathomed over 5 years ago. Initially it was just girl talk between mama and daughter. A list of things we would do together.

 April 2015 my body just caved in. I  experienced spastic paralysis from the waist down for about 13 hours and had to rely on crutches for a further 8 months after that because I physically could not walk on my own without  the support of the crutches. Now I only use them when I go on a long haul flight and only until I  have rested for 24 hours post flight.
 
I have to plan my activities so as not to tire my muscles and to be honest most days I just push through the discomfort and  use my weekends to rest up as much as I can.  A few days before my scheduled jump I had  what I call a mini relapse and I wasn't sure I would be able to make it but I did through prayer and my faith that God was holding me in the palm of His hands.

The big day finally came after the original day was pushed back due to weather conditions. I wasn't scared or nervous at all. The thought of jumping out of an aircraft actually excited me... I know, crazy isn't it? My tandem instructor was an experienced jumper and have done over 500 jumps so far. I trusted him and was confident that he would get us back safely on firm ground. 

The initial free fall out of the aircraft looks like a very scary scene. As we fell out I had a split second of nervous stomach jolting but it disappeared as soon as it came on. I kept my eyes open all the while. I imagined that I would keep them shut as we fell out but I didn't. I was mesmerized by the view from that height....15000 feet in the air!!!

That 1 minute of free falling with no shoot is something out of this world. You don't feel yourself falling, just the wind in your face. When the shoot was opened we were pulled back up by the wind and we slowly glided down to earth... well we were falling and pretty fast but it felt like we were gliding, slowly, carried by the wind. And in those moments when I sat in the harness strapped to my instructor, and took in the views which was visible for miles and miles and miles, I understood Isaiah 30:31; But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

You see an eagle can sense when the storm is coming. It flies  to a high spot, wait for the wind to come and when the storm hits, it sets it's wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. When we put our trust and hope in Jesus we too can fly above the storms of life. Hoping in the Lord is expecting that His promise of strength will help us rise above life's distractions and difficulties.

The elation of the skydive stayed with me for days and weeks on end and one day when I played the scene out in my mind again I heard the Holy Spirit  whisper in my spirit, "trust me the same way you trusted that instructor, no doubt, no fear. Have complete confidence in me".  
The Greek word for trust is empistosyni. There are 2 other Greek words for trust in the new Testament, used in relation to the heart attitudes of true believers in the Lord; peitho and pepoithesus . 

Peitho: confidence, trust. This means to depend on God, to trust Him and put your confidence in Him.
Pepoithesus is used in relation to trust in Christ/ God.

This really challenged me. I realised that I haven't yet entrusted everything to God yet. I do the "pepoithesus" part well most of the time but not the "peitho" part. I trust God and have confidence in Him for my healing and my children and my extended family but when it comes to my finances and other things I still hold back.

God wants the best for all of us and He loves us. He has the power to control all of life. What are you trusting God for and what are you holding back? Let us take a leap of faith together and put our trust and confidence in him for all areas of our lives. Let us commit and  entrust our all.

Shalom and be blessed.