Leap of Faith | Jon Stolpe Stretched

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I’ve been wrestling with a decision for a while now. The decision is a big deal for me. I see so many reasons to go a certain direction with the decision, but I grapple with my own fears and anxiety that would keep me from going in that direction.

I’ve talked with a few people about the decision. These are godly people whose wisdom and opinion I respect. Each of them have encouraged me to put aside my fears and to take a leap of faith.

What is faith?

Faith is trusting in things we can’t see, in things we can’t control, and in power beyond us. Faith is about dreaming big. Faith is believing that everything will be okay in the end even when we can’t see the way right in front of us. Faith is being able to put aside our fears – or maybe to face our fears – and trust that God will take care of things. Faith can help us break the paralysis of analysis inflicted by life’s anxieties. Faith is more than just words – it’s followed by actions.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

As I was thinking about faith and about my decision, this clip from Indian Jones and The Last Crusade came to mind. In the scene, Indiana Jones must get from one side of a chasm to the other side. When he arrives at the edge, there’s no apparent way to get across. Through his study of ancient literature and archaeology, Indiana Jones comes to the conclusion that the only way across the gaping pit is to take a step of faith. This is exactly how I feel as I head into my decision.

Isn’t this a great clip? You see, in life, we have decisions to make that require faith. Which college should I go to and what should my major be? Who should I marry? Where should I live? Where should I work? Where should I go to church? Should we have kids? You get the idea. Our lives are riddled with decisions that require faith. We have to trust that as we step into the great unknown, God will catch us. And that’s where I’m at with my decision.

Stay tuned for more details about my “big decision.”

What leap of faith do you need to take right now? What’s holding you back?

http://deuceology.wordpress.com Larry Carter

Looking forward to hearing about this.
- admin
  
  Stay tuned… Do you like how I’ve got you on the edge of your seat?
- http://jonstolpe.com/ Jon Stolpe
  
  Stay tuned… Do you like how I’ve got you on the edge of your seat?
  - http://deuceology.wordpress.com Larry Carter
    
    Very nice teaser.
http://www.facebook.com/executivepastoronline Kevin M. Stone

I can’t wait!
http://www.eileenknowles.com/ Eileen

Great thoughts, Jon. I’m reading The Circle Maker right now., My only advice…lots of prayer and then…action. Looking forward to reading more too!
- admin
  
  Great book! I’ll share more about my decision in the days to come.
- http://jonstolpe.com/ Jon Stolpe
  
  Great book! I’ll share more about my decision in the days to come.
http://billgrandi.com/ bill (cycleguy)

I love that clip! Wrote about it here: http://billgrandi.ovcf.org/wordpress/?p=7393 Some people fear “leaps of faith” because it speaks of untried waters. LIke your picture of jumping out of an airplane. While I believe God doesn’t want us to be foolish, I do believe He wants us to “test” Him and follow. praying your decision will be His.
- admin
  
  Thanks, Bill. I’m praying for that as well. It seems like I’ve been getting confirmations all around me that it is God’s decision.
- http://jonstolpe.com/ Jon Stolpe
  
  Thanks, Bill. I’m praying for that as well. It seems like I’ve been getting confirmations all around me that it is God’s decision.
Tara

Jon, whenever I’m at a crossroads (after much prayer and consideration), I mutter five words “I choose faith over fear”. And as Ashlee gets older and is facing many new things as a young adult, she and I have also talked about the notion that-if God places an opportunity in front of us, he has been preparing us all along for that opportunity, so we should just go for it to honor him.
Thanks for continuing to share!
- admin
  
  Thanks, Tara. I guess I’m seeing that there are some things that are easier to have faith in, but maybe faith becomes real when we’re faced with the more challenging decisions.
- http://jonstolpe.com/ Jon Stolpe
  
  Thanks, Tara. I guess I’m seeing that there are some things that are easier to have faith in, but maybe faith becomes real when we’re faced with the more challenging decisions.
http://byrdmouse.com Jonathan

A leap (or even it’s little brother a step) of Faith is just another way to stretch yourself, right? My wife and I chose to name our youngest child Faith. She will be 16 months old Saturday and I never bothered to tell my wife that I voted for that name in no small part because it means that my Faith is growing daily, hers too.

I have always loved this quote: “Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.” Saint Augustine and it reminds me of a maxim I have seen a few different places in the last few weeks, the will of God will not take you anywhere the Grace of God cannot cover you.

At the same time, I am an engineer who can rationalize and theorize many potential outcomes. None of those make it any easier to step off the cliff to bridge the void and get the cup. I have recently undertaken more than one task that remind me I need the Faith to make the decision as well as to give the worrying back to Him.

Good luck, and lots of prayers for you.
Donna Shirley

Go for it, Jon…..but I hope it isn’t jumping out of an airplane (skydiving). I know you will make the right decision.
Rabid Mongoose

Hi there Jon, I landed here after seeing a post of yours at Some Wise Guy’s blog. The thing that jumps out at me from this post is your comment, “everything will be okay in the end.” I’m not sure that I agree with you that this is a good benchmark of faith. I would argue that acknowledging God for who He is, is the benchmark of faith, and that everything flows from this acknowledgement. The problem: We all (myself included) have an imperfect concept of God. I bet that even the Apostle Paul was learning things about God as he got older. So instead of wishing/hoping for good results as a test of faith, I just try to believe God is who He says He is and get over my own misconceptions. Good or bad results are irrelevant because they are tempered by my own perceptions of what is good and bad. What are your thoughts?
- http://jonstolpe.com/ Jon Stolpe
  
  First of all, thanks for stopping by. It’s an honor.
  
  Second, I’m not so sure we’re that far off in our thinking. My words may not fully express my belief. Everything working out in the end as measured by God is a whole lot different than everything working out as measured by me. Perhaps, I should have included the God measurement thing in my statement. You see that is my measuring stick. I don’t always know or understand why certain things happen in my life. For example, I don’t understand why God would allow illness to come into my family. But I have to have faith that God knows what He’s doing (not that He caused the illness but that He permitted the illness) and that “everything will work out in the end” because He knows what’s best and He has a plan. This takes faith. Does that make sense?
- http://jonstolpe.com/ Jon Stolpe
  
  Rabid Mongoose, in thinking further about this, I would refer to Hebrews 11. This is the faith “hall of fame” in the Bible. If you read closely everything may not have worked out for these men and women during their life times, but they were still commended for their faith that God was still working upstream even after they had passed on. This is the kind of faith I want to have.
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