Keeping the Ropes Attached~ Rachel Melillo

When I was in high school, I went on a day-trip with my youth group to Gordon College to spend the afternoon with a select number of teenagers interested in leadership in their youth group. I went—excited about the prospect of being on the high-ropes equipment and learning more about becoming a good leader.

                When we got there, we were given a quick introduction to the equipment and how it worked. MY first quest was walking across a narrow bridge. I estimated it to be one of the easier tasks, so I chose to do it first. When it was my turn, I started climbing up the tree to get up there. About halfway up, I got stuck and couldn’t see a way to climb any higher.  I looked down trying to see how far I was away from the ground, only to see that I was a good eight feet away from solid ground. Feeling that there was no way to turn back and no way to press on, I panicked. A couple people on the ground tried to give me directions on what to do next, but I couldn’t figure it out based on what they were saying. Finally, I managed to get to the next step and up to the top with help from the trained leader holding my ropes so that I didn’t fall.

Lesson 1: Trust the One holding your ropes.

                I got up to the bridge and took the first step across. The narrow, wooden bridge wobbled and I panicked. However, with the coaching of the trained leader, I continued to walk to the other side.   A couple times, I started to lose my balance and he pulled my ropes tighter to make sure I didn’t fall.  The gesture felt like a distant hug, though the person making the effort seemed far away, the action still had the intended effect.  However, if my ropes weren’t on right or had some problem, I could have fallen about two stories and gotten seriously injured.

Lesson 2: Make sure your ropes are strong.

                Finally when I made it across, I was instructed to go to the middle of the bridge. At first, I looked at the guy like he was crazy—why had I made it to the other side just to go back to the middle.  Trusting him, I took the few steps to the center of the bridge.  His next words were even more difficult to swallow, “Now I want you to fall backwards in a sitting position.” What!? He wants me to fall? I thought. 

Sometimes we have to do things and go places that are hard. They don’t make sense and they seem crazy to us. But as long as your ropes are strong and attached to God, He’ll make sure you’re alright.

Lesson 3: Don’t be afraid to trust God and do what He says.

“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

                                                Psalm 9:9-10

Trusting God~ Rachel Melillo

I'm in college and things can certainly get out of control and chaotic a lot of the time. In the midst of this chaos, I have the tendency to handle everything myself. I mean, no one else can help me find motivation to do my homework, go to work and to class. It's up to me to do everything...and as small as that seems, it stresses me out quite a bit. In addition to that, I need to make sure that I find or make time to read my Bible and pray.

Recently, I've been joining my two best friends in a devotional that we've been doing called Jesus Calling. A lot of the time, it focuses on resting in God and trusting Him. Sometimes, I wonder, “why does it keep coming back to this??” And then the next day I realize that I needed that. I need a daily reminder to rest. To trust God. In the middle of all my daily list of 'to-dos', it's helpful to take a minute and focus on God—to remind myself that He is in control, not me. And as hard as it is to relinquish control, it's vital to my mental state of being. ;)

So, in trying to put this into practice, I've tried to just live my life one day at a time—focusing primarily on what I have to do for tomorrow, not what's due in a week or what's going to happen next month or if I'm going to survive the summer at home...the list could go on and on. There's a reason that Jesus tells us in Matthew 6, “do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Verse 34). We can't handle everything at one time, we need to trust God with each day and not jump ahead. We don't need that kind of stress.

I challenge you to focus primarily on the day you have now instead of focusing on what's going to happen in a year from now, a month from now, or a week from now—trusting God with every day.

Did you know that Rachel works at Wal-Mart?!?!

Trust, Struggle, Leap, Fall?~ Rebecca Howe

Imagine yourself standing on the ledge of a high level bridge. Who is going to catch you if you fall? Will there even be anybody down below willing to? You’re trying so hard o keep your balance, but your weight is working against you. As your foot comes off the ledge you panic to steady yourself in time. When you get a glimpse at what is underneath you, what do you see? Are there hands reaching up at you, trying to pull you under when you were doing so well? You have to fight to keep them away. You’re having a difficult time focusing. So many different problems are tearing away at you. You feel life someone is burning your happiness. As each new worry passes by, it’s like a new cut or bruise appears on your pale skin. Some leave scars, but you have to find a way to erase them all. Everyday life and problems used to come so easy, now it seems like a burden to you. This burden is something that you have to carry atop your small chest while it crushes you. Where did the simplicity go?

Remember you’re on that bridge, teetering back and forth. Glancing down you can feel the sweat streaming down your check, meeting them half way are tears. The tears consist of fear, stress, doubt and wonder. You can see your family and friends, some willing to catch you if they have to, while other passersby aren’t even aware of their needed support. They can see the bridge, but they their eyes skim right over you in your struggle. Then you see the One, staring into your eyes. They know everything and will comfort you. They have been ready and waiting for you to realize you need their help, and no one else’s.

As you see a dark shadow approach you from behind, you know you have two choices. You can either let it push you down, letting your already weak body scrape, stumble and fall through the never ending despair. The journey would be long and painful, and you have no choice of whose hands you would land in. Your other option is to commit to the One who has been patiently standing by for you to leap back into their arms. They want to be able to hold you tight, and make you clean again.

When the shadow closes in on you, you have to squeeze your eyes shut to block out the true horror and reality of the situation you have fallen into. You can go back to your old ways that always brought you down, or you can restore your life. The two possibilities are different in every way. Your eyes open up as you feel the shadow loosening your grip as you hang onto the ledge. You are now sure of how you want this to end and have accepted it.

About the Author

Hello, I'm Becca and my favorite animal is a dinosaur :D

I hope you read these pieces and get something out of them, if not that's okay too

We All Have Problems~ An Advise Column by Nadia

Dear Nadia,

 My boyfriend and I broke up a while ago and now he is starting to show interest in my best friend. I care for them both but I don't want them to be together. I know my best Friend wouldn't do anything but... I keep thinking she will! What should I do?

Caught in the Middle

Dear Caught In The Middle,

I'm sorry you're having a hard time with this. I know if it were me, at this point I would probably still be struggling with my feelings for my boyfriend. Maybe you guys ended the dating relationship on a good note, maybe not, but either way I'm sure it's tough to see your boyfriend starting to have feelings for your best friend.

You said that you know your best friend would never do anything and I agree - a true friend wouldn't do something to hurt you. I suggest that you talk to your friend about how you're feeling. Explain your emotions to her, not in a way that would make her feel bad or guilt her out of going out with your ex-boyfriend, but just be honest with her. As it says in Proverbs 18:24, a friend will stick closer than a sister. I also encourage you to take this to the very best Listener there is - our Father in Heaven. Pour out everything to Him and let Him see into your heart. Lay bear whatever is there - if there's any pain or regret, or even just tell Him how much you miss the good times you two had together. Maybe in talking it out, you'll realize that you are able to let go. Maybe it's time for you to let go of this guy, and just place everything in God's hands. You can "Lay aside any weight (anything that's holding you back or bringing you down)... and run with endurance the race that is set before you." (Hebrews 12:1)

This also might be a good time to put God in control of your love life if you haven't already. You can say a simple, heartfelt prayer committing your life to Him and asking Him to find you the perfect man sometime in the future. I read a quote that said, "Dance with God, He'll let the perfect man cut in." I think that is so true, and something all of us should do. I'll be praying for you as you work through this situation, and one thing to keep in mind is that no matter what happens, God is in control, He will work through it for the best, and it will all pass.

God bless,

Nadia

Dear Nadia,

I want to start trusting God more but I'm not really sure how to or where to start. Do you have any tips or advice for me?

Trust in the Lord

Dear Trust in the Lord,

I really have a hard time trusting in God too! And I'm pretty sure we're not the only ones, either. It's super difficult to trust in someone you can't see, but there are some things we can start with in order to try to trust God more. Right now, I encourage you to look back on your life. Try to remember all those times that God has been faithful to you - the times He answered your prayers in little ways, the ways He has blessed you. When you're struggling at all in your walk with God, I think it helps to count your blessings. Also, read God's love letter to you (the Bible). He has given us tons of great verses that remind us that He's not going anywhere, that He's watching out for us, and that He loves us and has plans for us.

One of my favorites is Jeremiah 29:11 - "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future.'" Another thing I've noticed about trusting God is that, for me, it's really easy to fall into the trap of depending on my friends or my achievements to tell me who I am. Then what happens is when that friend isn't there or when I don't get as good grades as someone else, I start to feel really insecure. I've finally decided that I'm through with that, and even though I have a feeling it's going to be a struggle quitting that bad habit, I've discovered that God is the ONLY one we can depend on. Trust in His faithfulness and commit yourself to Him. It will be hard, but you can rely on Him - look around at all the beauty He's put in this world, just for you :) And look at the incredible sacrifice He made by sacrificing His son for us. Do you believe that He is who He says He is? Because God NEVER breaks His promises, and He has told us and proved to us that He is powerful and faithful and loves us through everything.
"Since God assured us, 'I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,' we can boldly quote, 'God is there, ready to help; I'm fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me'" (Hebrews 13:5) Learning to completely trust God is, I think, a journey that all of us are on and one that will take a lifetime. God bless you and I'll be praying for you!

:) Nadia