There are many memes doing the rounds on social media about leaping out in faith.

• Have you seen the one with the monkey bars? ‘You need to let go of a rung to move forward.’
• Have you seen one with someone leaping across a chasm? ‘You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps.’
• And then there’s the one with the mutually exclusive circles.

These memes offer a similar message - accomplishing great things requires courage, risk, trust, adventure and faith.

This message is not new. World changers have been spruiking about it throughout history. Albert Einstein is attributed with saying, ‘A ship is always safe at the shore, but that is not what it was built for.’ Epitomising risk through vulnerability, Brené Brown writes about having the courage to show up when you can’t control the outcome.

Those who have achieved the greatest feats have stepped out of their comfort zones and into the unknown. They have owned the ‘fighter within’ and have taken significant risks and made substantial sacrifices for the sake of a passion or cause. The ride is never without failure or disappointment, but the outcomes influence generations. Great reward is rarely attained without great risk.

But even before the Albert Einsteins and Brené Browns of the world were championing words of wisdom, many writers in the Bible called us to leap out in faith.

• Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid or dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. 1 Chronicles 28:20a
• For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7
• Commit your actions to the Lord and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3
• I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

And writers today continue to remind us to have the courage to leap out in faith through Christ.

• When God’s super collides with your natural, sparks will fly. Steven Furtick
• Stop trying to have all the answers before launching out in faith. Steven Furtick
• Faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse. Philip Yancey
• Faith doesn’t ignore reality, it just sets its gaze on Jesus. Louie Giglio
• Set goals so big that unless God helps you, you will be a miserable failure. Bill Bright

I could go on, but I will instead wrap up by stating that 2020 will be our year of leaping out in faith, knowing that when God is in it, immeasurably more will happen than we could possibly imagine.

I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10bLet’s commence 2020 with a spirit of courage, adventure and joy, knowing God goes before us and with us. Let’s leap forward in faith and not only live life long, but live it wide.

Quit telling God how big your mountain is and start telling your mountain how big your God is. Steven Furtick

- Jane Mueller, Principal