You’re standing on the edge of a platform, suspended high, metres off the ground. In front of you is a thin wire. Your mission? Should you choose to accept, travel across this wire, suspended off the ground. Walking slowly, keeping your balance. Your eyes looking ahead, your head still. All whilst realising your feet are not on the safety of the ground.
How are you feeling? Scared, excited, nervous or terrified? Your answer is most likely a reflection of your personality. If you’re nervous you are most likely cautious in approaching tasks in life, if you’re excited you are the adventurous type. The beauty of our personalities is there are no right or wrong personalities. We were all built for different purposes, and equipped with the correct personality to fulfil this.
Would you feel any different if you knew there was a safety net underneath the wire? Would it change your approach to tackling the task? I know for me it would. If I knew I could fall without getting hurt then I would feel more comfortable tackling the challenge. My sense of adventure would be fulfilled. I would still feel nervous (that’s a healthy response in this situation believe me), but somewhat safe.
The wire in this instance is a representation of your life. You will have to take that first step into adventure, steady yourself, find your balance, and continue to move forward. We can talk about the adventure of life another time.
Even though you are not focused predominantly on the net below, you are aware it is there. This is truth and grace. Or, accountability and love. Self-compassion is the balancing act between the two. Knowing you have worth and value, and the accountability to acknowledge you will make mistakes. There are times where you will fall off the wire. We can lose our balance, we can lose our focus, we can make the mistake of turning our head to look back where we came from, rather than to where we are headed. We can forget to take the next step. Whatever the reason we can lose balance.
The comfort of the net below the wire isn’t a response to you falling off the wire. It doesn’t appear when it looks like you will fall. The net of truth and grace is always there. it is there when you are running across the wire, it is then when you are steadying your balance, and it is the same net when you are holding on for dear life.
Truth and grace
The comfort of the Lord is to be sought within the discovery of truth and grace. He is the “Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.” (1 Corinthians 1:3). The idea here is that he first comforts us so we can comfort others. We need to look within ourselves to find this comfort.
Keep walking across the wire, keep your courage to step forward and take on the challenge of life. The net is always there. Truth and grace is always there. Accountability and love is always there.
How much more adventurous can we be knowing our fall will be broken by love.
Fiona Mackenzie is coffee drinking, sport loving, theology studying daughter of God. She hails from Newcastle, NSW, making the most of the great outdoors, beach and coastal lifestyle. More of her thoughts can be found at www.thefightback.net