Faith and Trust: I’ve been enjoying a biography on the life of Abraham, written by David Jackman. Abraham was getting on in years when he was first upped sticks and left the security of his home in Haran (possibly in modern Turkey). He left it all to go to the land of Canaan with his family and nephew Lot. He didn’t have an easy life nor was he perfect, yet he is known for believing that, not only did God exist, but that such a being was calling him to go on such an adventure.

As a person, Abraham is both colourful and inspiring for those about to embark on a spiritual journey. He had to search his soul and face his shortcomings. His encounters with God enlarged his understanding of who this all-knowing, all-powerful being was. This faith is something deeper than mere head-knowledge or about having feelings of something ‘other’ or spiritual.

Blondin (Jean-Francois Gravelet), was a well-known acrobat and tightrope walker in the 1800s. He’s famous for crossing Niagra Falls on a tightrope. Large crowds watched him cross using a balancing pole. He would then throw the pole away to the amazement of his onlookers. In 1860, watched by a Royal party from England, he crossed the tightrope on stilts and then did so wearing a  blindfold. Later, he stopped halfway to cook an omelette, which he sat and ate. Next, he pushed a wheelbarrow across and then added a sack of potatoes.

He asked the Duke of Newcastle, ‘Do you believe that I could take a man across the tightrope in this wheelbarrow?’‘ Yes I do,’ said the Duke. ‘Hop in!’ replied Blondin. The crowd hushed, but sadly the Duke of Newcastle refused to accept this challenge. Asking for a volunteer, an old woman stepped forwards and got into the wheelbarrow.  He pushed her all the way across and back again. The old woman turned out to be Blondin’s mother, the only person willing to put her life in his hands.

The people watching believed Blondin could perform such a feat. But none of them, apart from his mother, was willing to put their trust in him. This is the same with faith which is not merely intellectual; it involves an active step of putting our trust in God. Yes, this involves risk, but the journey of faith proves to be is exhilarating. Of course, we wouldn’t put faith in our brakes if we knew they were faulty. Also, faith is not something we do from afar. We don’t act like the concerned father (David Jackman talks about in his book), who said to his son:

Don’t go into the water until you’ve learnt to swim! 
This is a nonsense – you can only learn to swim if you actually venture into the water; at first with buoyancy aids and maybe an instructor. Similarly, faith and trust in God requires that we step out into the unknown and allow God to carry us across the chasm that exists between people and the kingdom of God. We can trust entirely in God because he delivers on his promises.

Revd Joe Lannon (Rector, Callington Cluster)