Surface Tension

Micah 2:13 -- "The One who breaks open the way will go up before them;"

Warmth hitting my shoulders from the bright Philippine sun and the laughter of family around the pool made the moment perfect. I steadily climbed the rickety old life guard chair until I got all the way to the top. It's funny how the chair didn't look twelve feet tall from the ground, but once I reached the top and turned around to face the pool, the bright red umbrella high up over my head, it became obvious that I was higher up off the ground than I'd imagined. Not usually intimidated by heights, I gave my situation some thought before I set to execute the perfect "high" dive. 

All through my high school years it was an obsession of mine to be a pro diver. Our school didn't have a pool, so I was limited to the shallow waters of the public pool we visited when home on Spring Break - or the small pool in the terraced back yard of our school dormitory. Finding a high place from which to dive was both difficult and dangerous. This is what drew me to the life-guard chair and the reason for which I now stood precariously balanced at the top of it, looking down into the crystal waters of the pool. A group of us had managed to maneuver the un-weildy thing to the deep end of the pool and the line that had formed behind me began to grumble with impatience. I was encouraged to jump or get off. 

Jump I did. 

Here's the thing about a high dive. You HAVE to hold your hands in the right position: arms stretched out over your head, one hand over the other, palms flat and facing outward. If you point your fingers, like EVERYONE does on the television, you will bruise the top of your head when you hit the water. I learned this the hard way. With nothing to break the surface tension accept my head, I came up out of the water with my crown smartin' somethin' fierce. From that moment on, I learned to dive properly and used my hands to break open the way for my head and shoulders. 

The book of Micah speaks of the victory we have in our Lord. Heavily oppressed, God's people were discouraged, battle-weary and more than a little tired. Micah 2:13 reminds us that the Lord will go before us and break open the way. We don't have to do it alone. In fact, we CAN'T.

In a rough land dotted with the blood of young men on the battle field, it was comforting to know that our Father and True Leader broke open the way on the front lines. God was not going to send His people into the fight by themselves. Not only did He join in and fight WITH his people, He LEAD the way. 

He still does. 

When faced with our own unique battles today, it might be easy for us to FEEL a little distant from our redeemer. We may complain that times were different back when the words of God were put to paper.  The struggle faced by those who have gone before us were not as difficult as some of the struggles we face today. I have even heard some people express frustration and say that the encouragement provided God's people in the Bible doesn't really apply to some of our modern-day strife. But I STRONGLY disagree. True, we might not face an enemy face to face on a clearly defined battle ground - but Jesus DID, in fact, brake open the way to victory for us.

Looking down from a rickety high ledge onto the fast-paced life into which we must daily dive seems so daunting at times. I, for one, am frequently overwhelmed. But I know the secret to a picture-perfect dive. All I need to do is cling to the One that broke open the way for me. I need but to follow my Leader who charges out before me - breaking the surface tension that I can go forward cleanly, safely, and most of all - VICTORIOUS!