Will you admire or follow?

To start things off, the song Free by Zac Brown Band has been stuck in my head since Friday when my friend Van and I were listening to it on the way to Young Life Capernaum Club. It's a tremendous song, very relaxing and I feel speaks extremely true to my heart. Tonight at church I heard a beautiful story for the first time and it is changing my life. Charles Blondin was a French tight rope walker and acrobat. In the late 1800's he headed to New York to attempt a tight rope walk across Niagara Falls. The walk was successful and a few months later he attempted it again. Now there was a huge crowd of what was estimated to be 100,000 people there that day to watch him. As he was about to get on the rope, he turned to the crowd and asked if anyone would get on his back and he would walk across with them on his back. The crowd was silenced. One man stepped out and said, "I will." They crossed successfully and the crowd roared like no one had ever heard before. This story struck me hard. Am I solely admiring Jesus or actually following him? Am I stepping out of the crowd, trusting he will guide me safely? I feel in my life right now, I could say this isn't true. I love to control things. But in reality....what control do I have? This is such a freeing lesson for me, and this is truly something that is being worked on in my heart. Just this past week I spent a little more time in silence than usual because of a devotional, and this was ringing clear, DO NOT WORRY. This is the most freeing reminder I've had in the longest time. But are we really all in, all in for what we believe in, are we all in with our trust? What does that even look like at times? I think we know what this looks like, and we can feel when we are trusting in the Lord, because we are alive like no other. There is this uncontrollable joy and peace that is indescribable. Whatever it may be for you, whether it's a sport, or your grades, or your friends or family. Go all in for them. Be willing to step out of the crowd in faith, knowing that you will be guided. As my friend Van tells me, "Leave no stone unturned." Don't just sit there and admire what is going on, follow the one who is love. Go all in, in all you do. Bring some joy into this world by stepping out and pouring out love. It's not easy, but you know when it's real. Don't just admire, but follow. We'll see how this will change our lives.