Remember as a child when you jumped down your first set of stairs? Not just one step but you soared over two or three steps? I remember not having 100% success on the first try and 90% never cut it; 90% was always catching my heel on the edge of the last step and either face planting or tearing up my palms pretty good. My “jumping off of things” career did not begin here, I probably got a thrill as a child stepping off of a door sill. After that I most likely jumped off of a book. Then on from that I slid off of a couch, then my parents high bed which, prepared me for the task of jumping off of my first step. I could hear the music from “Chariots of Fire” and the crowd roared . . . . maybe the dogs wagged and my brother’s boom box was playing Springsteen’s “Born to Run.” Either way it was an epic moment and an epic feat I was about to attempt. I soon made my first jump into the record book of 3 year olds. It was common sport, yet unpopular with the old people, to jump off the platform after church. The stairs at the entrance were equally exhilarating and, I think, equally annoying to the aging crowd.

I never moved on to jumping off of houses into pools until I was in my 30’s and my kids were expecting Dad to be just as brave as other men. I never continued into extreme sports and BASE jumping, life took over and pain didn’t seem as rewarding as it once had. I guess I was getting older. Once again I am at a place of jumping off the proverbial door sill . . . . blogging. The reason I am blogging is that about 8 months ago I jumped off a step that previously seemed too large to surmount. I had stuck with jumping off of the safe curb of ministry, leading a home group and praying for a few people. It was a comfortable jump, I knew it well, it was hard to get hurt and low risk. Little did I know this was all about to change.

I invited an itinerant minister to speak to our ministry team as well as help them recognize their giftings. He was one who functioned highly in the prophetic, healing, and teaching. After this meeting, something inspired me to ask this man if I could accompany him and see what was going on outside of Southern California. He said ‘Yes’ and I booked a trip to Dallas, Texas. Uh oh, I had stepped up onto a step that had some risk attached. With some butterflies in my stomach and feeling very inadequate, I made the trip to Texas. I jumped off . . . . and it was very rewarding. I found a new part of the calling God had on my life which made me seek the next step to jump off. I will spare you the details but now I am in a place where I feel as if I have jumped off a few single story buildings ready to face plant but, somehow, landed on my feet.

Just like the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:13-30, I want to be the one who invests and risks for a reward. Or to relate it to David when he took on Goliath, in 1 Samuel 17:36, David declares he has killed a bear and a lion, why should he fear this giant? I’m sure David started by killing rabbits for dinner then snakes, coyotes, wolves and so on, I doubt he just up and killed the bear with no skills.

You have been given a skill set and a gifting, you must invest it. Jump off the next step and see what is in store for your skills and giftings, they will grow to fight larger giants and reap larger rewards.