Tightrope of Faith

“The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible.”

—Richard M. DeVos

Most tightrope walkers perform their stunt with a safety net placed securely below them. However, there once was a tightrope walker who differentiated himself by walking between two 20-story buildings without a net. Spectators would watch him perform his breathtaking feat, walking from one building to the other. He appeared to walk the tightrope without much effort or concern. He would simply focus and place one step after the other.

During his second act, his assistant sat on his shoulders as he walked again. Amazed, everyone would give him a thunderous applause.

For his last act, he asked the crowd if they believed in him and if they believed he could do it again. The excited crowd responded, “Yes, we believe in you and that you can do it again!” He paused and then asked the crowd, “Now, who will volunteer to get on my shoulders?” The crowd became silent.

How easy is it for you and me to believe in others, but when we are asked to have faith in ourselves, we can't? What we see others achieve becomes impossible for us—when we lose faith. We all need to build faith in ourselves and others. We need to focus on our feats in life and place one step after the other on the tightrope of faith.