THE LEAP OF FAITH
“You won’t be able to preach on faith if you don’t personally step out in faith!”
- A Friend
In Canada camping is a big deal, and traditionally the camp season seems to launch on May long-weekend. When I lived in Manitoba, this was a time I’d head out into the wild with some friends, where we would go fishing, hiking, and many times also went looking for cliffs to jump off of into a freezing cold lake. Many years later we still talk about those great memories when we see each other, and I’m certain we’ve all drawn some lessons that can be applied to life. One of my favourite ones was, of course, the cliff jumping.
Looking back I can’t believe how stupid we were with some of those cliff jumps. I mean, now as a father, my heart would stop if I heard my kids were doing what I did. Teaching them how to jump off a diving board at the public pool is one thing, but jumping from a 10 meter cliff into dark water where you can’t see if there are rocks or not, is a whole other situation. Back then I used to think, “you only live once,” whereas now I say, “you only die once.” Yet, whether I’m helping my kids jump at the pool, or I recall my cliff jumping days, both involve taking a leap of faith. It’s a moment when we come face to face with fear and make a life-changing decision.
Throughout my years in ministry, the journey of faith sometimes feels like a leap of faith. You sense God leading you into something daring and bigger than what you’ve known, and you end up being confronted by fear and worry. It’s a moment of tension for sure. But just like I had my buddies daring me to jump off the cliff at the lake, I’ve also had some great friends dare me to take the leap of faith when it comes to God’s call upon my life. One of those moments was when two of my friends challenged me to take the leap of faith into ministry again.
My first go at pastoral ministry left me with a bitter taste, and for a while I found myself walking away from what I thought God had called me to. For just over a year, I found safety in working with some Christian men at a sunroom company called SunCo Sunspaces. These guys took me under their wing as I took a breather and tried to regroup. They saw I was discouraged and disappointed with ministry, and in various ways I needed support during that time of my life. Throughout that year and a bit God used these guys to challenge my faith and call me into maturity as a man. Their patience and grace marked my life in so many ways, especially when they challenged me to face my realities. One of those meaningful moments came toward the end of my time with them, when they challenged me to re-engage with ministry.
Although I deeply respected these guys, I didn’t feel prepared to take a leap of faith into my first Lead Pastor role. That’s when they looked me straight in the eye and said, “Marco, you won’t be able to preach on faith if you don’t personally step out in faith!” The rest is history. To this day I still contact these men and have a great respect and appreciation for their friendship, and in many ways I can say they are the reason I assumed my first Lead Pastor role.
Since then, I’ve gone through many other moments where my family and I have taken leaps of faith regarding what God was calling us into. Each leap bigger than the ones before, and each time I’ve had to come face to face with my fears. Although I’ve heard it countless times, that we should have faith and not fear, I don’t think one exists without the other. As a matter of fact, I’ve taken leaps of faith while afraid. Every cliff jump involved fear as I fell through the air and into the cold water. Only after the experience did I realize there was nothing to fear, and that is the same thing with life.
Does God call me to have a “blind faith” in Him and what He has called me into? I don’t think so. Although there are a lot of mysteries to the journey, every time He calls us to trust Him, He calls us to trust something about His character that He has disclosed for us to see. When He calls us to step out in faith, regarding decisions in our life, it’s usually toward something we can see. He did this with Abraham when He showed him the stars in the heavens and told him he’d be the father of many nations. Again and again, God reaffirmed Abraham of His promise, and Abraham stepped forward in faith toward that promise. Did Abraham see the whole picture? Not really, but at least he saw where and what God was calling him into.
Back on the first of July, in 2016, my family and I took another one of those leaps of faith. Debbie and the kids got onto a plane and travelled to Kamloops, while I drove a U-Haul across the country with all our belongings. Through various ways of affirming us of His plan, God called us to serve Him there. The journey has been full of joys and sorrows, but it involved a leap of faith that I simply do not regret. Today, as my family and I get in the truck to drive back to Kamloops, after a few days of work/vacation in Winnipeg, I’m reminded of all that God has done, and my heart is simply full of gratitude for the leap of faith, and the people that challenged me to take it.
Do I always see clearly what God is calling me into? Not really. Many times it seems foggy. Yet, because of past experiences, I’ve learnt to trust His leading and know when it’s really Him speaking. Do I still wrestle with fear when taking a leap of faith? Absolutely, and perhaps even more than when I was young and crazy, because now I’m a husband and a father. The levels of responsibility are higher. Perhaps, the greater the leap of faith that God calls us to, the greater the level of fear. It never really goes away, and I don’t always feel like I’ve got the faith to take the leap. However, time and time again, when that happens, God brings some amazing people to cheer me on. I only pray you’re able to have those types of people around you.
When God gives you the nudge to take the leap of faith, and He brings people around to support you, make sure to let the voice of faith speak louder than the voice of fear. Take the leap. You won’t regret it.