Niagara Falls - A Long Way Down!
Some years ago, Malc and I went on a tour of Canada and the United States, which included a trip to the Niagara Falls. When we boarded the ‘Maid of the Mist’ the boat that would carry us close to the bottom of the falls, each passenger was given a thin plastic raincoat with a hood to wear. As we looked up we could imagine the rope where Charles Blondin famously crossed several times from 1859. He walked 160 feet above the falls several times back and forth between Canada and United states as huge crowds on both sides looked on with shock and awe. Once he crossed in a sack, once on stilts, and another time on a bicycle, and once he even carried a stove and cooked an Omelette.
On one occasion Blondin walked backwards across the tight rope to Canada and returned pushing a wheelbarrow. The story is told that it was after pushing a wheelbarrow. across while blindfolded that Blondin asked for some audience participation. Crowds of people had watched with ‘Oohs‘ and ’Aaahs’ as he firmly proved he could do it; of that there was no doubt. But now he was asking for a volunteer to get into the wheelbarrow and take a ride across the falls with him! It is said that he asked his audience, “Do you believe I can carry a person across in this wheel barrow?” of course, the crowd shouted “Yes!” Of course, they believed! It was then that Blondin posed the question – “Who will get in the wheelbarrow?” and of course no-one did.
Charles Blondin’s story paints a real-life picture of what faith actually is – and what it is not.
The crowd had watched his daring feats. They said they believed in what he said he could do - but their actions proved they truly didn’t. It’s one thing for us to say we believe in God. But it is not true faith until we do not just say we believe - but when we put our faith and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ. He sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sin upon himself. So now we can put our trust in Him.
And don’t worry, Jesus has carried many over all of life’s dangers and worries straight to Heaven’s gates. He can be trusted.
When Malc and I looked up from that boat to the top of the falls we knew there is no way we could trust someone to carry us over them - but looking up reminded us that we are looking up to the one who is trustworthy above all and that we are safe in His hands.