Years ago in school, I was once one of the shyest boys around. Girls teased me no end, and other boys bullied me till one day at the morning assembly, I heard my head master say something that changed my life. “Most people,” he said, “tiptoe through life and finally reach death!”
I went home mulling over those words and realized I was doing just that.
A very tired traveler came to the banks of a river. There was no bridge by which to cross. It was winter, and the surface of the river was covered with ice. It was getting dark, and he wanted to reach the other side while there was enough light to see. He debated whether or not the ice would bear his weight.
Finally, after much hesitation and fear, he got down on his knees and began very cautiously to creep across the surface of the ice. He hoped that by distributing the weight of his body, the ice would be less apt to break under the load.
After he made his slow and painful journey about halfway across the river, he suddenly heard the sound of singing behind him. Out of the dusk, there came a 4-horse load of coal driven by a man singing merrily as he went his carefree way. Here was the traveler, fearfully inching his way on his hands and knees. And there, as if whisked along by the winter’s wind, went the driver, his horses, his sled, and the heavy load of coal over the same river!
The story reiterates what I was saying at the beginning. How many of us go through life on tiptoe?
Some stand on the bank of decisions unable to make up their minds about the course to take. Others stand on the banks trying to muster enough courage to cross over to the other side of the task or problem encountered. On the other hand, some individuals crawl and creep through life for fear of thin ice.
Their confidence in themselves is not strong enough to hold them up.
Still there are those who whisk along whistling as they go. Their confidence is UNSHAKABLE.
How did I change my thinking?
I asked God to walk with me, to give me courage in moments of fear, which believe you me were once in five minutes if not more, and I asked Him to let me live life to its fullest.
Today as I look back I can say with full assurance that when we face the river of difficulties, we do not have to fear, nor do we have to creep through life. There’s help from above and with that help we can merrily make our way to the other side safely!
Stand up, stop tiptoeing, start walking..!
Robert Clements is a newspaper columnist and author. He blogs at www.bobsbanter.com and can be reached at bobsbanter@gmail.com
