Trust Fall

'I, the Lord your God, bestow mercy on the children of those who love Me and keep My commandments.'  Exodus 20

There is an icebreaker used on many retreats called the 'Trust Fall'.  Everyone takes turns falling backwards, allowing others standing behind them, who they cannot see, to catch them.  It can be quite a powerful experience.

St. Francis of Assisi used the image of this kind of falling to suggest abandoning ourselves to God.  Quoting Scripture, he would say, 'It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of God!'  He didn't mean 'terrible' as in 'frightening', but rather 'terrible' as in awesome.'

Falling is always scary.  But when you trust God's open arms, you place control of your life in the hands of the loving Creator.  Especially at those times when things seem out of control in our own life, how calming and reassuring is it to know that we have turned things over to Someone much greater than ourselves!

As we begin this Third Week of Lent, let us pray that our efforts and practices will strenghten us to take that kind of 'trust fall' with God, allowing Him to lead us and guide us through everything we face in this life.  For it will be in so doing that we will then draw ever closer to eternal life in the Father's Kingdom of true and lasting peace.