Forward Motion vs. Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor

There he is, standing beside me. I'm sitting in the sand, watching quietly. His body is tensed and his little forehead is crinkled in concentration and determination. Directly in front of him lies the ocean. Millions of square miles of waves and rip tides and hurricanes and fish that just might find him delicious. Does he think about those things? Nope. He crouches down and points his body like a torpedo at the breakers. At this point, my little three year old is a perfect example of potential energy. He's like a rubber band that has been stretched out to the max.

And then, from deep within his throat, comes some sort of hybrid ancient barbarian roar mixed with a grizzly bear growl. He hurtles himself towards the surf. Now he is pure kinetic energy. I watch (and laugh) as he makes it a few glorious yards into the water and then is completely overcome and tossed aside like a little rag doll by a one-foot wave. He emerges, goggles askew, waterlogged, caked in wet sand and seaweed, bathing suit half off, choking on all the salt water he ingested, but still triumphant and cackling like a rejoicing warrior. He comes back to the sand to do it all over again. And again. And again.

In 1887 a song was written that I know you've heard. The chorus goes like this:

Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms.
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

In one sense I think this song is spot on: Spiritually speaking, we are safe and secure in the arms of Christ. That's true. But in another sense I think the imagery of this song can be misleading. It makes us think of leaning backwards into God's arms where nothing can hurt us.

First, the perspective given in Scripture is that we're to be a people who are leaning forward. A people who are filled with a spiritual kinetic energy, if you will. We're not to be on the sidelines, uninvolved in the Kingdom. Second, if we are Christ followers, we are not going to be safe and secure from all alarms. We will be persecuted. We will suffer. It's a guarantee.

In my walk with Christ am I comfortably sitting up on the dunes watching the waves and currents from a safe place, leaning back and relaxing in the status quo? Or, am I leaning forward, racing towards the great big unknown, but confident in my Maker and Savior, that He will be glorified by my life?

Let's run to the waves. Let's give it everything we've got. Let's embrace the kinetic energy of forward motion.