Up A Tree...

When I was a small child I loved to climb trees, I was wiry and quick, not to mention there weren’t many things I wouldn’t do on a dare. It was a windy day, the tree was tall and the dare had been issued. It was a dare of a double dog variety. I couldn’t possibly back down.

I was extremely young; I don’t recall much of my climb up except that when I had made it to the top I became paralyzed with fear and unable to come back down. This was a problem. Being such a small child who weighed maybe 25lbs I was able to climb up into the very tip top of that tree, up to the swaying limbs where a larger child couldn’t go much less a grown man.

I’m not certain how long I had waited up there before the fear that her little sister might have to live up the tree forced my sister to run in and get my mom who came out with a horrified look on her face. This was not good. She was hysterical and I caught words wafting up on the breeze like fire department and rescue equipment. I was in BIG TROUBLE with capital letters!

But perched high atop the tree I had a view others didn’t! I saw over the house that my Daddy’s pickup truck was coming up the road! Daddy would know what to do! He would save me! He pulled in the driveway, and rushed to where the small crowd that was gathering and I saw Momma pointing up the tree at me precariously blowing in the breeze atop the tree. He didn’t hesitate, in his police uniform he climbed up that tree as far as it would hold him but it wasn’t high enough. He still couldn’t reach me. I was completely deflated. But he looked up at me and said, “Do you trust me?” Of course I did! He was Daddy! Then he reached out his hand and said, “Step out into my hand and I’ll catch you, I promise.” And without a thought I let go and stepped out into thin air and my Daddy caught me and carried me down to safety. I still tear up thinking about it.

In this life trusting someone can be hard, but when they’ve never once broken a promise to you it is easy. When you know they have your best interest in mind always and they will never do you harm it makes trusting them a choice that is easier to make. That’s how it was with my Daddy, he had my best interest in mind and I trusted him. That’s how it is with my Heavenly Father, He has given me promises in the Bible that always true, He has given me His only Son to die for me, and although at times it seems like His way is harder than what I would want I know it is best for me so I trust Him. Otherwise I wind up stuck up a tree…

“For You are my hope, O Lord GOD; You are my trust from my youth.” Psalms 71:5