I admit it, from a human perspective it can get confusing! We have hierarchal systems from government to schools to how our families run. There are cultural differences among ethnicities and nations to name just a couple.

This is not a post to dissect these differences, but it is to help us hopefully see things from a greater (or more focused) perspective.

So, here is where this question came from... As I was reading in Acts, God reminded me of something that happened to Peter and John not long after Jesus had risen and returned to heaven. My attention was grabbed when I came to these verses...

​>> Acts 4:19-20 <<

The temple leaders were indignant that Peter and John were confidently healing and relaying eyewitness accounts of Jesus not only rising from the dead, but now living in power and healing others through them! They thought they had silenced this conversation by killing Jesus!

So, they tried to silence these guys by putting them in jail and then bringing them before their inquisition the following day.

“By what power or what name did you do this?” they asked.

(And here is where the Holy Spirit started to yank on my heart strings...)
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is
“‘the stone you builders rejected,
    which has become the cornerstone.’
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (from Acts 4:8-12)

It's really a fascinating picture of ordinary people who had spent quality and quantity time with Jesus, waited and received the gift He promised to them (Read Acts 1-2), and subsequently moved in boldness, power and wisdom without Jesus standing (physically) beside them! Thousands were coming to faith in Jesus and being baptized because of the disciples. (Read Acts 3-4)

The bottom line is to hear the words of Peter and John as they responded to the command of the temple leaders... (and, by the way, they used the same tactic as Jesus did - - they answered with a leading question.)

Hmmm. You be the judge. I leave that statement for you to think about.

As for me, I felt the Holy Spirit challenging me and saying:
"Don't allow the voice of fear and unbelief to dictate your voice and actions. Your children, spouse, friends, co-workers, people you lead, and leaders need to hear and see the testimony you carry. Don't allow His voice and ways to be silenced."

I guess you could say that God got my attention. I am so glad that He continues to lead me back to His ways, truth and presence. I love Him for that!

There is a scene in 'The Last Crusade - Indiana Jones', (come on, entertain me for a minute :) where Harrison Ford comes to an impasse; a chasm that must be crossed but he has no way of doing it. He cannot return until he completes this path so he takes a step of faith over the gorge, into the emptiness and with great relief, finds that his foot lands on a hidden, stone bridge. After crossing over, he stops and throws dirt on it so that it remains revealed for the return trip...

Have you ever had moments in life like that?

Some roads I've travelled have been ones that I would definitely not want repeated. These are the roads of intense pain and loss; the ones that blindsided me; the paths with deep chasms in front of them. Because they were nonnegotiable, my only foreseeable options were to either sink in the after-moments or bravely inch forward.

It takes great courage and faith to keep walking, especially when all you can see is that you are on the edge of a cliff. Typically, my heart would instruct me but in these kinds of moments it is the heart that experiences the chasm. The pain of it is overwhelming making you want to run but finding there is nowhere to go. The chasm is luring in its despair. It is then that the words of God embedded in life and the experiences of truth handed down through faithful generations kick in. It's as though I move by rote and habit, but mentally I choose what I will believe and do. I choose God.

Unlike this movie, God gives us dust to throw before we step out in faith. Faith is substance. Faith comes out of what we hope for. Hope comes from God. If we invite His presence and voice to give counsel, He will be like dirt thrown on the hidden path revealing the way forward. There is a bridge. Jesus gave us that many years ago when He came and took all hopelessness away by dying on a cross. He is the path, the truth and answer in seemingly hopeless situations. He is life and love giving healing to unanswered hurts, release from bondages formed in injustice, and incredible courage to hope again for something good in the future.

I guess what I am trying to get at is this; we cannot have answers to all of what happens in life but we can trust a loving God who promises to stand by His word. His word is His bond. When He says that He is love, we can trust that. When He says that He will never leave or forsake His kids (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭94:14‬‬‬), we can trust that. That means He is there, at the cliff... and He will make good on His Word. He will make a way for you to cross over!

​“For the Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance.
Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.
But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭94:14, 17-19, 22‬ ‭NIV