Tightrope

As a kid I was amazed by my first trip to the circus. There were animals, jugglers, acrobats, trapeze artists and clowns under the big top. But perhaps the most entertaining were the high wire walkers. Even though they had safety nets below them, my eyes were riveted to their tentative steps high above the floor of the tent.


I could only imagine the danger of walking on the thin wire above the breathless crowd. My imagination ran wild as I considered the fearless high wire artist and his trek across the spotlight bathed expanse. 


Walking the tightrope is something we do everyday. We walk a narrow path between right and wrong, between integrity and expediency, between different shades of gray, yet we still are on the tightrope. There are moments when we fear we will lose our balance and fall off of the tightrope because of making wrong decisions. 


Sometimes the fear of falling is enough to cause us to fall. Tightrope walkers often talk about the width of the rope rather than the air on either side. They are so focused on the destination they don't look down at the thin wire.


All of this has caused me to wonder about the "tightrope" that we walk on. I have met Christ followers who were so paralyzed by fear of failure that they are unable to walk. They were petrified at the thought they might fall off of the tightrope. Every step was so carefully measured out, that they took few steps.

Recently I read that "being a Christ follower is less about cautiously avoiding sin than courageously and actively doing God's will."

St. Augustine, an influential Christ follower of the fourth century understood the "tightrope" when he said, "Love God and do as you please." In an age when we like to hear "do as you please" Augustine was able to frame it by saying, "Love God" is the starting point.

Today I commit to walking on the "tightrope" because of my intense love for God and the desire to pursue His will.  Am I worried about falling? Not so much. Augustine says, "Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe."  The tightope is calling....