Cheerleader

Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10

My daughter was a cheerleader during high school and at times she was a flyer. For those of you that don’t know what I mean by that, the flyer is the cheerleader that others would help hoist up into the air to the top of the pyramid. Sometimes as a flyer she would even be standing only on one leg. She wouldn’t hold onto anything and her hands would be outreached high into the air. Soon after striking her pose, the flyers were thrust into the air and she would spin and then gently come down into the arms of the girls below. It was the girls below that held her up with their hands and caught her on the descent. It was beautiful! It all looked so effortless.

It was far from effortless. It took hours of practice to perfect the routine they wanted. Although it is nothing I would attempt to do at this stage of my life, it clearly demonstrated moments of trust and faith. The flyer only had to stand straight and smile as the girls below (the base) would hold her up high into the air with their hands. Actually the flyer would have to allow the girls of the base to hold her high and balanced because if she tried to balance herself it would become too shaky. The flyer would have to allow to be held up by the base. Sometimes even standing slightly tilted she was standing upright, smiling, and ready to conquer the moment.

Just the same, as we go through life we too need to allow God to hold us up with His victorious hand. We need to lean on Him. If it feels a little off balanced we must learn not to take control and make minor adjustments ourselves. We just have to stay focused and he will lift us up high.

It will take practice to get this right. We are so used to leaning on our own understanding, leaning on our own knowledge, leaning on others, and leaning on our circumstances, that we tend to forget when we are doing those things we can’t be fully leaning on Him. It is only when we are actually leaning on Him that he can hold us.

Not everyone can be a flyer on the big field but being a flyer for your personal game is easier than you think if you have God as your base. He is your strength, your help, and your balance. Stretch your arms toward heaven, keep your chin up, stay focused, smile, have faith in Him, trust in Him, lean on Him, rely on Him, and let Him hold you up.