God is Faithful

I must have heard this a thousand times. Jo Richardson used to tell me over and over that God is faithful. Harry and Jo Richardson were the individuals that God sent my way to help me to come out of satanism. It was a prayer that I repeated after Jo that led me to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. It was at Harry and Jo's home that the demonic was rebuked and cast out of me and in that I found new joy in Christ. I was truly a new creation in Christ because of God using Harry and Jo Richardson.

However, as I began my new life in Christ, 'things' did not go as smoothly as I would have liked. There were issues to work through and I had to learn to walk in what God had provided through His grace for me. Every day brought a new challenge in which I was going to learn to stand and believe, or as I easily did, I looked at the issue or situation and bellowed my complaint(s). I thought that God was going to do more.....

Later I became a therapist, post college, working with children and teens in an alternative school setting. I got the kids off the bus, taught class, had recess/physicall education with them, ate lunch with them and helped with homework. Twice a week I held ropes course therapy in order to teach some life lessons. Now, these were kids that we had literally picked up from garbage cans, where they were finding their meals. We were attempting to help them along their road and help them to adjust to mainline society. Our work was certainly cut out for us.

One of the biggest issues that I found in dealing with the kids was basic trust. They would act out due to the reality, for them, that they could not trust anyone. If you ever want to help someone, they need to trust you. So, I was determined to reach into my heart and let them know that I was heart and soul there for them. But nothing I said meant anything to them; I had to show them.

We had what was called a trust fall exercise on the ropes course. The idea was for someone to get on the platform, which was four feet in the air and face away from everyone else. Their arms needed to be folded so that they could not catch themselves as they feel backwards. The rest of the class, which was abou 6-8 of us, interlocked arms in order to catch the kid as they fell. Imagine, if you will, falling backward with your eyes closed and arms tucked and folded off of a four foot high platform trusting others to catch you before you hit the ground.

Many cried out and lost their composure before they even gave us a chance to catch them. But, for the child that allowed himself to be caught, it was an instant realization that he could trust others in a very vulnerable condition. That was the lesson that I wanted to teach. However, the ropes instructor called me to the trust fall and had me to do what I had been teaching the kids. I had to go up on the four foot platform, close my eyes and fall backward allowing the very kids that I had been disiplining, teaching and pouring my life into to catch me.

As I stood on the platform, I turned around and looked into the eyes of every kid there. I wanted to see if there was any one who would give me a sign that they were going to allow me to fall. These were kids that had behavioral issues and I was literally trusting them with my neck! They looked back at me with reassuring eyes, letting me know that they were there for me. They had never been there for anyone and this was their opportunity. I turned around, closed my eyes and I fell backward into the arms of my kids. And, I became more than their therapist that day. We connected on a heart level. The kids were faithful.

God can be relied on. He is who He says that He is in Scripture.

I used to bellow out my complaints to Harry and Jo Richardson believing that God wasn't doing something that He was supposed to be doing (He was neglecting me). I used to believe that God would walk away from me if I 'messed up'. I have a million of them, folks. I used to believe so many lies. I now know His word and what He says to me. I have learned and am learning that I can place my trust, just like I did with those kids and allow Him to catch me. I can fall into His arms knowing that He is faithful.