"Walk This Way, Trust Me"

      Just recently, I was watching a Chinese talent show with my family, and one particular act caught our attention. It was an apprehensive act in which a little girl of five years climbed a wall, using darts that her father threw into it as leverage. The following video from the show recounts the event.

      As you could see, the father gave all he had. He knew what was at stake. His daughter’s success was dependent on how well and how strongly he paved the way for her climb. Everyone in the audience was worried. It is not shown in the shortened video above, but one of the judges wanted to inspect the darts himself. Everything in the show was spoken in the Chinese language, so my aunt translated for me, and I learned that the darts were buried into the wall at an average of half an inch. The little girl weighed 30 kilograms, and, ideally, the darts had to be able to bear a weight of about 40 kilograms. The father’s job was done. Now the rest fell upon the shoulders of his daughter, and she succeeded.

      My aunt said that there was a meaning behind this act. The father paved the way for his daughter, but the girl had to independently climb the wall herself. She went on to say that this is like how our parents do what they can to guide us and teach us, but, in the end, the responsibility ultimately falls on us.

      Pondering on this, I took the observation further. This little girl of five years placed in her father a trust that we older folks struggle to have. Her father set up her steps and anchor points, and said, in effect, “Climb this wall. Trust me.” It was then her decision to do her part, and she did.

      Doesn’t this also reflect our relationship with our Heavenly Father in some way? He gave us instruction through His Word, and gave us wisdom and strength through the Holy Spirit. He paved our way, both to salvation and to the life He wants us to live. He gave all He had—His life—and now He calls to us, “Walk this way. Trust me.” And everything in our lives waits with bated breaths for our answer to the question: “Will we?”

      Is it possible that the trust portrayed by the child reflects what is meant by “childlike faith”? As we grow older, we start thinking for ourselves and learning about reality. And as a result, we tend to think that we know everything, and that our judgements and decisions are the best. Now, understand that I’m not saying we should be simpleminded or gullible. In fact, quite the contrary. The Bible warns against simplemindedness, and instructs us to live wisely, discreetly, and prudently. However, childlike faith is an appropriate state of the heart when it concerns our walk with the Lord. This will be explained in the next point.

      There is a difference between the talent act described above and our walk with God. The darts thrown by the father is fallible. There are chances that some of the darts are weakly embedded, and thus risk the girl’s safety and success. Not so with God. The stepping stones He lays before us are firm and true. Because God knows what is truly best and He loves us enough to give us that best, we can confidently believe that His ways are infallible. This is why we can, and should, have childlike faith in Him—because He never fails us when He does His part. The blame, then, for any failure is ours (Real failure; not what seems like failure. There are things that appear to be failures but are actually victories in God’s plan). The path is sure; it is our choice whether to walk on it or not. We will reap the rewards if we do, and the consequences if we don’t.

      Finally, as we think of how the Heavenly Father gave all He had to provide us a path to salvation, we should never forget how He set His Son’s path to Calvary. The time was right, the world was ready, and the stage was set. The Father paved the way, but Christ had to bear the weight by Himself, just as the little girl had to climb the wall by herself.

      Will we have such faith? Will we let God set the path instead of insisting on doing it ourselves? Will we let God write our story? When God says, “Walk this way. Trust me,” will we do it?

Blessings,

Nathanael Chong