HomeWord - Sept. 25, 2007

In college, a group of us decided we would go sky diving.  All we needed to do was show up in the morning, sign a stack of paperwork accepting responsibility for our actions, watch a 30-minute instructional video, go through a few safety rules with an instructor, and, we would be up in the air and jumping out of a plane within an hour. 

Everything went as planned, and by the early afternoon, I was in a plane with a professional sky diver attached to me like a backpack.  It is called a tandem jump.  Our turn came and out of the plane we went.  It was amazing.  Never have I had a better view of the Rocky Mountains or a better flight.  As we plummeted towards the ground, the time came to pull the parachute.  The rip chord was pulled and we immediately went from falling fast to floating slowly to our landing.

There are times in our lives when we start feeling out of control, plummeting quicker and quicker into sin, temptation and trouble.  The key is, when you get out of control in your life, make sure you have others around you who can pull your rip chord.  It can be hard sometimes to see the red flags in our own lives.  In the Old Testament, the Lord sent judges to remind the people to turn from their evil ways.  In the New Testament, Jesus comes and tells us to slow down and focus on what is real and important.  He then trains His disciples to share His message with the rest of the world.  What a gift the Lord gave us in putting other people in our lives who can not only walk with us, but guide us.

Who are you attached to?  When you start falling, do you have people around you who can help slow you down and pick you up?  Or do you have people in your life who simply aid you in falling further and faster until you hit rock bottom?  Your choice of who accompanies you in life’s journey can make all the difference in the world!

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GOING DEEPER:

1. What kind of a support system do you have in your life?  How can you make sure you’ve surrounded yourself with people who will help slow you down when you are falling out of control?

2. Who are you helping?  Is there someone in your life who needs a friend right now to help him or her from continuing to spin out of control?

FURTHER READING :

Matthew 7:12; Philippians 2:3; 1 Peter 4:10

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