A Swing Set God

So, I'm not gonna lie. Having a church playground as a backyard is pretty fun. My plan to call the parents yesterday and sit on the swings whilst I talked to them turned into just me swinging. (In my defense, I called, but they didn't answer.) And then I started thinking...

At the opening meeting of the FTE conference I went to a couple weeks ago (last post, if you missed it), an FTE staff person there encouraged us to "believe in the power of the pause." So how often do we pause enough to play on a swing set? I mean, really. Who does that? Whether the pause is a year or two of service instead of staying on the fast track to a career (not sure what exactly a religion major's fast even is, but anyway) or spending ten minutes on a swing, the pause is a beautiful thing.

Just chill.
Feel the wind on your face,
and the sunshine on your back.
Find peace in the gentle back and forth motion.
(Be careful to not let your legs hit the ground, as the swings are in all likelihood built for people quite a bit shorter than you...)

So there I sat swinging. Thinking. What if God is like a swing set? I mean, sitting still on a swing on a nice day is pleasant and enjoyable enough, but once you start moving. You've got to put effort into it. You're not getting anywhere exciting without some leg work. Slowly you start moving, building up anticipation and speed as the swing, and the passenger it's found in you, go higher and higher. It's risky...maybe seems kind of dumb. I mean, swing high enough and you might just fall right out and abruptly land in an prickly pile of mulch.

But you're not going to. 

Hang on tight enough and maybe you go airborne from the seat for a second, but you'll be alright.

I don't mean "hang on tight enough" as in "be close minded and never compromise," I just mean don't give up. And I don't know if it's God that's the swing set, or just faith itself. Neither is easy or effortless. To get the most out of faith you've got to go a little ways out on a ledge of sorts. Risk it, put yourself out there, trust that you'll be taken care of. If you can do that, you might just get that rush of wind that will send you to and from the very top of the swing set.