She stood on the tallest piece of furniture, arms raised, legs in a crouching position, ready to jump with her entire being.  Of course, I was standing on high alert waiting to see what great feat she was about to perform.

The last time we had played the “see how far you can jump” game, she wanted me to stand close enough to reach her with my arms.  That episode is covered in  A VERY GROWN UP STORY .  This time, however, she asked for something very different.  She said, “Don’t catch me, Nana, just don’t let me fall.”

She wanted to feel the exhilaration of free jumping and landing on the mattress on her own, but with the full knowledge that I would not let her fall and get hurt.  (Come on, you know you did the same thing at your grandparents’ house.)

So, I stood aside watching her leap with joy, hair flying in the air, grinning so big her cheeks were nearly in her eyes.  I really could not tell you who enjoyed it more – her or me.

As so often happens, I see great parallels in the growth of a child and our growth as Christians.  Sometimes, we are so timid in our leaps of faith, that there is no joy in the jump.  Like a child – I want to say to my Father, “I’m jumping, Lord, with great delight, enjoying the flight in mid-air, trusting completely that you won’t let me fall!”