As a heavy-set kid, I rarely enjoyed the monkey bars on the playground. Sure, I enjoyed climbing on things. But nimbly swinging from bar to bar in succession was just not my thing. More often than not, I could make it a few bars before dropping into the dirt.
More recently, I recall helping my daughter play on the monkey bars. She absolutely loves them, and has since she was old enough to walk. She would ask me to lift her up and hold her as she would “swing” along (when in reality, I was guiding her forward). If I let go, she became terrified and simply hung in place. I knew the feeling – the fear of letting go of the current bar with one hand in order to reach for the next. The fear of losing the status quo at the risk of moving forward.
Deb and I have found ourselves on virtual monkey bars as we continue to grieve the loss of Jacob. The temptation has been great to simply curl up in a ball sometimes, or to retract and withdraw. And then the words from Joshua 1:9, which have become a sort of motto for me, come through loud and clear:
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
As He does often throughout the Bible, this passage includes a pattern: Command, Promise, Risk. (hat-tip to Pastor Rick Warren). In so many words, God prompts us to reach out to the next bar, and promises that he will be with us when we do. We are to swing from bar to bar, and not just hang there. Now, it is up to us to take the risk with Him. Much like our daughter took the risk to reach for the next bar as I held her, Deb and I reach for whatever comes next in life, firm in the knowledge that God holds us as well.
Jacobs Ripples 
That is so true for all of us. I like your word choice of “God prompts”. Sometimes, I think He gives us a little more of a nudge and push, too. lol. I think of so many situations that linger that seek to regress us in some way- worry us, sadden us, cripple us. Every year I do a trust fall in class with the kids. We talk about how there is the moment in falling where you know you are helpless and feel the fear of thinking you are going to hit the ground until so quickly my hands swoop them up and stand them back up on their feet. It is like that in our Christian walk. There are times where we are afraid of falling but it is then we know the hands of God catching us, comforting us, strengthening us. I always love that lesson and discussion with the kids. I am a worrier by nature. Not proud to say that but it seems for me that once I kinda voice the worry- that seems to free me. So, thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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