Never Look Back

“L

adies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages….” The Ring Mater’s voice boomed from center ring and reverberated from the walls and ceiling of the Charlotte Coliseum where my parents had taken me and my brother to see the circus.  It was everything they said it would be.  There were animals from all over the world—my favorites were the elephants and the lions.  There were clowns, jugglers, fire eaters, magicians, and something I had never seen before nor expected.

High above the circus floor, flying through the air, defying all laws of gravity were acrobats.  I was mesmerized from the moment I saw them.  The Ring Master walked the audience through their entire performance, telling us about the impossible feats they were conducting high above our heads.  I remember shuddering with fear and excitement as these men and women sailed through the air, turning somersaults, hanging upside down from the trapeze, and trusting the other members of their troupe to catch them.  It was an amazing sight and one I never forgot.

The moment of truth, however, came when the Ring Master announced that one of the acrobats would be performing a difficult maneuver high above our heads.  He would swing out on the trapeze several times, do a combination spin/somersault, and land in the outstretched hands of his partner who would deliver him safely to the other side of the arena.  As if this weren’t adequately heart-stopping for the audience, this last feat would be performed without the added safety of a net!

The two acrobats began their performance.  The gentleman who would perform the maneuver began swinging back and forth, faster and faster, and higher and higher.  His partner also began swinging but he was not in sync with his partner.  From the ground, it looked as if the two would never be in rhythm and I became very worried.  How would the one acrobat catch the other?  Would he be in a position to catch him when he released the trapeze?  Would the other acrobat release the trapeze and trust his partner?  What would happen?

Finally, I got the answer to all of these questions.  The two acrobats approached each other.  The one performing the spin/somersault had his back turned to his partner.  He swung out, released the trapeze, performed the trick and landed squarely in the hands of his partner who delivered him safely to the other side.  The audience breathed a collective sigh of relief and applauded thunderously.  What was so amazing to me was not so much that one partner caught the other.  What impressed me as a young child was that the first acrobat, without being able to see his partner, had the guts to let go of the trapeze in the first place.

The Scriptures are filled with examples of men and women who exercised great faith, trusting God to catch them when they stepped out into nothing and had no net catch them.  This is the type of faith God wants us to have. It is the type of faith that only comes from experience, from learning that no matter how high the trapeze, no matter how out of rhythm life seems, and no matter how difficult the maneuver, God will always be there to catch us! 

But there is one proviso in all this, one requirement which we must meet, we must be willing to let go of the trapeze.  We cannot put our hands into the hands of God if our hands are full.  We cannot reach out and take hold of the things God has for us if we continue to hold fast to things in the past or present.  In order to experience God’s wonderful grace, in order to understand what it means for Him to care for us, and in order for us to truly know God in all His fullness, we must let go of the trapeze.  It’s just that simple.

In Luke 9:62, Jesus, himself, gives us this requirement for being servants in God’s kingdom, “Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Look at the first two words of this passage. The words no one are all inclusive, they leave no one out!!  In order to be servants in the Lord’s kingdom, we must let go of all we hold dear, be that a job, a home, a stock portfolio, a friend, or a family.  This does not mean God will take them from us, but we must be willing to release our hold on them so He can give us His best.

Like the acrobat, we must be wiling to let go of the trapeze, knowing there is nothing below us to break our fall.  With our backs turned, without the luxury of sight, without being able to hear, we must let go in faith, knowing God will catch us.  Has your walk with God prepared you for the moment when you must let go?  Are you ready and willing to let go of the trapeze today, to step out into nothing except the hand of God and experience the joy that comes from landing squarely in His arms? When you do, you will find that it truly is the “greatest show on earth” or anywhere else for that matter!