Everybody, Always

away an almost perfect parachute because one small string out of
hundreds of them is out of place. It’s good enough, right? Here’s the
problem. If even one string is over the top, then the parachute will look
like it’s fine while you’re up in the air, but you’ll never be able to land it.
You won’t realize this until you get close to the ground and hit hard. The
same is true with our lives.
I’ve tried to fly my faith more than a couple of times with a few
strings over the top. Maybe you have too. It was colorful and looked good
on the outside. To most people, it even appeared to be flying the way it
was supposed to. I wasn’t trying to fake it or be a fraud. Most of us
aren’t. While I knew I had a string or two over the top, the idea of cutting
away everything and starting all over again sounded excessive to me. It
sounded reckless, unsafe. Perhaps it does to you too. It didn’t to Jesus,
though. He said He wanted us to become new creations. His plan for our
renewal is that we cut away all the things hanging us up and start all over
again each day with Him. He talked about cutting away things that
entangle us and about pruning more than parachutes, but the concept is
the same. When we get the wrong things over the top of our lives, we
might look good for a short time, but we won’t land our lives well. If you
have a string or two over the top of your life, cut it away. Will it be
scary? You bet. Do it anyway.
There’s one last thing the instructor told us in class. He said if the
main parachute doesn’t open up, and the reserve parachute doesn’t either,
you’ve got about forty-five seconds before you hit the ground and make
your mark. I was surprised and a little grossed out when the instructor
said hitting the ground isn’t what kills you. Every bone in your body will
break, of course. But after you hit the ground, you’ll bounce—and it’s the
second time you hit that kills you as the broken bones puncture all your
organs. I know that is kind of graphic, but it’s true.
I’m a lawyer, so with this information in mind I figured I needed a
strategy. Here’s mine: if none of the parachutes open up, when I hit the
ground, I’m going to grab the grass and avoid the bounce. What is true in