Daily Devotional for April 8, 2021
The Safety Rope
Gabriela’s heart pounded as she looked down at her brother. He looked very small from her perch among the treetops. “You can do it!” he called up to her.
“Easy for you to say, Adrián. You’re not standing on a log thirty feet in the air!” It was her first time on the high ropes course at her church retreat, and she was supposed to walk across the log like a balance beam.
Gabriela looked at her father below. “Are you sure the rope will catch me if I fall?”
“Absolutely,” Dad said.
Gabriela tugged one more time on the safety rope attached to the body harness she wore. She tensed, getting ready to take that first step. You can do it, she told herself. If you fall, the rope will catch you. Just walk out there. She took a deep breath and inched out onto the log. First one tiny step. Then another. And another. Soon she was all the way across.
“Great job!” Dad called. “Now I’ll lower you to the ground.”
“You’re sure the rope will hold me?” Gabriela asked.
“Yes. Trust me!” Dad called back. “Just lean out a little, and you’ll feel it start to pick you up.” Gabriela did as directed and gasped with relief when she felt her harness tighten around her waist. She let her feet leave the platform and slowly descended to the ground.
“Was that fun?” Adrián asked as Dad unclipped the rope from Gabriela’s harness.
“Yeah! I was so scared up there though. I knew the rope was attached to me, but I couldn’t feel it. I felt a lot safer after I was off the log and the rope caught me.”
“You know,” Dad said, “the rope wasn’t holding you only when you felt it. It was holding you the entire time.” He smiled. “That makes me think of Jesus.”
“You mean, because sometimes when life is tough, it feels like He’s not even there?” Gabriela asked.
Dad nodded. “But whether it feels like it or not, Jesus is with us all the time, holding us up and taking care of us. He saved us, and He won’t ever let go of us.”
“So will you go up and walk the log again?” Adrián asked.
Gabriela smiled. “Yeah. I’ll do it again.” (Sarah E. Avallone)
How about you?
Are there times in your life when you don’t feel like God is with you? When tough things happen or it seems like God isn’t answering your prayers, do you start to wonder if He even cares? If you know Jesus as your Savior, He will never, ever leave you. He gave His word that He will always be with you. So instead of relying on your feelings, trust Him. Even if it doesn’t feel like He’s there, He is still taking care of you.
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