Imagine, if you will, the following scene. A little child is being tossed up into the air by his/her parent and caught when they come down. The child's initial reaction is one of shock - accompanied with tears and wails, which soon die away when realisation dawns that he is safe in the parent's arms once again. The parent then tosses the child up again. The second reaction is horror with tears following soon after, but this time they subside quicker. By the fourth or fifth toss the child no longer displays shock or horror. In fact, he/she is now enjoying the experience and is soon laughing at every toss and is begging for more.
There are three points of view to this situation. One is the child's, the other is the parent's and the third is an outsider.
The outsider is a bystander - he is an observer. He observes the child's initial reactions and questions the parent's intentions (and quite often their sanity!). He doesn't see the purpose of putting a child through that trying experience no matter how brief and temporary the trial may be.
The parent is a participant. The parent knows what he is doing - he knows his capabilities and those of his child. He will only toss up a child who is old enough to cope with the experience; he is not about to toss up a newborn baby.
Then, the child. He is a participant too - initially unknowing but very soon a keen and eager participant. He looks forward to repeating the whole exercise. What makes it fun for him? The fact that he is, for a moment, flying? No. The real reason is the total confidence that he will be caught safely and securely by his parent.
That confidence is FAITH.
...and having faith means being an active participant - not a bystander.
There are three points of view to this situation. One is the child's, the other is the parent's and the third is an outsider.
The outsider is a bystander - he is an observer. He observes the child's initial reactions and questions the parent's intentions (and quite often their sanity!). He doesn't see the purpose of putting a child through that trying experience no matter how brief and temporary the trial may be.
The parent is a participant. The parent knows what he is doing - he knows his capabilities and those of his child. He will only toss up a child who is old enough to cope with the experience; he is not about to toss up a newborn baby.
Then, the child. He is a participant too - initially unknowing but very soon a keen and eager participant. He looks forward to repeating the whole exercise. What makes it fun for him? The fact that he is, for a moment, flying? No. The real reason is the total confidence that he will be caught safely and securely by his parent.
That confidence is FAITH.
...and having faith means being an active participant - not a bystander.
