We find ourselves in tender, uncertain times - an era that leaves many of us feeling exposed and vulnerable. The instinct to seek shelter, to build walls around our hearts and lives, is not just understandable - it's deeply human. And yes, there are seasons when safety must be our North Star.
Yet here's the beautiful paradox: "Be not afraid" whispers through our sacred texts more than any other divine instruction. Those who have walked closely with Mystery tell us that risk is God's love language (aphrodisiac) - that if we truly wish to dance with the Divine, we must be willing to step onto holy ground with trembling feet. As the wise Alfred Adler reminded us: Our greatest peril may not be in the risks we take, but in the ones we refuse.
Consider how the most profound experiences that make us fully human demand that we leave safe harbor:
Love asks us to sail into uncharted waters
Intimacy invites us to be seen in our wholeness
Healing calls us to name our wounds
Vocation beckons us to become who we truly are
Sexuality draws us into sacred vulnerability
Holy Communion suggests we might find ourselves in losing ourselves
Resurrection promises that death is not the final word
Yet if asked about the last risk we freely chose - not one thrust upon us by circumstance - many of us would fall silent. We've become more practiced at calculating what we might lose than imagining what we might become.
This story comes as both comfort and challenge. It gently suggests that at some point, in service of our deepest calling, we must take that holy leap. Not recklessly, but with the courage that comes from knowing we were made for more than safety. We were made for love.
After all, it's in the falling that we learn - not just about gravity, but about grace.
- Terry Nelson-Johnson
Grace-ercises
The Platform Moment Take a few minutes to sit quietly and recall a time when you stood at the edge of something important - perhaps a decision, relationship, or life change. What kept you from "leaping"? Now imagine the California kid's gentle challenge: "Well, you'll never know unless you go, will you?" Where in your life right now might God be inviting you to trust enough to leap? Journal about what emerges.
Sacred Breath, Sacred Trust Find a comfortable space and take three deep, intentional breaths. With each inhale, imagine receiving God's life-giving breath. With each exhale, consider what you need to release to trust more deeply. Remember: just as the woman on the trapeze discovered her courage through breathing, your breath can be a bridge to deeper trust. What might change if you viewed each breath as an intimate exchange with the Divine?
The Jesus Leap Picture Jesus at the bottom of the quarry, hair wet from the plunge, calling out "Come on in, the water's great!" Where do you see yourself in this scene? Are you calculating the height, making excuses, or moving toward the edge? This week, when you encounter moments that ask for courage, pause and remember - Jesus didn't just leap for us, he leapt with us and continues inviting us into that holy abandon. What one small "leap" might you take today in response to that invitation?
Remember: "Risk is God's aphrodisiac" - if you want to get closer to the Divine, take really good risks.
