I believe the most powerful thing in the world that gives us a sense of security is the knowledge that we are loved and worthy of love. Once we understand that, letting go and surrendering to God and Life is more a simple matter of trust. It becomes a leap of faith.
When I think of a leap of faith, a couple of images come to mind. The first is of teaching my kids to swim. In teaching them to swim, one of the first things they had to overcome was simply a fear of the water. They had to learn that, while they hadn’t yet learned how to float or swim, they could jump into the pool if they were jumping into the waiting arms of Mommy or Daddy. They knew we were trustworthy. They had felt us hold them and carry them thousands of times before, just in different circumstances and conditions. They just had to learn that while the conditions were different, they could still trust in the care of our arms.
I’m similarly reminded of the illustration of a trapeze artist. We would occasionally go to the circus when I was a child, and I was always mesmerized by those soaring through the air above on the ‘flying trapeze.’ A priest by the name of Henri Nouwen was likewise fascinated, and recounted a conversation he had with the leader of a trapeze troupe. The man explained to Nouwen, "As a flyer, I must have complete trust in my catcher. The public might think that I am the great star of the trapeze, but the real star is Joe, my catcher. He has to be there for me with split-second precision and grab me out of the air as I come to him… The secret is that the flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything. When I fly to Joe, I have simply to stretch out my arms and hands and wait for him to catch me… The worst thing the flyer can do is to try to catch the catcher. I am not supposed to catch Joe. It's Joe's task to catch me. If I grabbed Joe's wrists, I might break them, or he might break mine, and that would be the end for both of us. A flyer must fly, and a catcher must catch, and the flyer must trust, with outstretched arms, that his catcher will be there for him."
My part is to trust, to surrender, to give myself up - to let go of the bar, to leave the comfort of the poolside, and simply jump. God's part is to catch, to hold, to do in me and for me what I can't do for myself. We just have to trust in the trustworthiness of the One who waits for us with outstretched arms.
You see, here’s the thing: ultimately, while we might occasionally find ourselves underwater, or fall to the ground, there is still really nothing to fear. As Dallas Willard puts it, “This universe is a perfectly safe place for you to be. The soul is simply not at risk.”
Jump.