"Alan Paton said that when he faced an insurmountable problem, he always thought of German aircraft dropping tons of high-explosive and incendiary bombs on London in 1940. 'While Londoners sheltered in basements, strategic and historic buildings burned above their heads. If this kept going on, nothing would be left of London.' Paton remembered Winston Churchill's proclamation: 'To the basements' must be replaced by, 'To the roofs!' Sometimes, we may feel hunkered down in the basement of our lives with all sorts of incendiaries exploding above us. We want protection from the fires and the explosions of our troubles. Yet, staying hunkered down may not be nearly as safe as scurrying up the stairs and onto the roof to fight the flames."
I remember when I was in fifth grade or so, and I attended day camp at the YMCA near my home. We were required to do a ropes course. I'd never been exposed to height in a natural setting-- that is, outdoors. Above the ground. Above everything. Heights do not scare me; yet as soon as I was standing on top of the highest wooden post and being called to step across these wooden steps with space in between, I couldn't move forward. I had to pep talk myself and say, "Come on, just go. You can't stand here and burn-- just take the first step, and keep walking." It feels so good to take the first step, since you know the Lord is calling you to more. This is a silly childhood analogy, but I feel that it applies in the same way.
"Paton prayed, 'Lord, save us from a retreat into hatred or despair. Call us out of the shelters and send us up to the roofs, even if day and night we are under fire. May we remain calm in the midst of violence and panic, and may reason and love and mercy and understanding rule our lives.'" Wow. If only we could pray like that!
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