Take a Leap of Faith

Today is February 29, but some folks act as if the day doesn’t exist.  I attempted to read a selection in two of my devotional books, but there was none given for today. Now I know how “leaplings” feel who were born on Leap Day when they have a birthday only once every four years.

Adding a Leap Day every four years is an attempt to reconcile the Gregorian calendar with the rotations of the earth around the sun. Technically a complete orbit of the earth around the sun takes exactly 365, 2422 days to complete, so every four years we have 366 days to keep the calendar in sync with the sun. If a leap day was not in our calendar every four years, today would be July 10, 2017.

1996 was a special leap year for me. I took a leap out of my comfort zone and dipped my toe back into the dating scene. I had been widowed for ten years and was dealing with a terminal liver disease. The idea of dating and the fear of rejection were very scary. Charles and I met twenty years ago this week and soon discovered we were both looking for God’s will in our lives. It didn’t take us long to realize His will was leading us toward marriage. It was a risky leap of faith for both of us because of my health. Twenty years and one liver transplant later, we have no doubt that God was directing our paths.

In April of 1996, we started our company, Consulting Aviation Services. As an aerospace engineer, Charles believed his innovative ideas to improve aircraft performance and safety would benefit the aviation industry. Two patents and twenty years later, he is still working hard every day to accomplish his goal. This year he is working on both commercial and military contracts.  This will be our make it or break it year depending on results from flight tests in California and Germany. Every day our leap of faith into the unknown challenges our patience and perseverance.

Last weekend, we went to see the movie “Risen.” The Romans heard the rumors that Jesus would arise from the dead after his brutal crucifixion. When Jesus body disappeared from the tomb where he was buried, the Roman authorities were determined to find his body. They wanted to discredit the belief that Jesus was resurrected. A Roman soldier followed the early disciples in order to destroy the believers—instead his life was transformed by what he saw. He along with many others took a giant leap of faith and believed that Jesus was the long awaited Savior and Messiah.

What other leaps of faith await you during this Leap Year?

• Traveling to that dream destination on your “bucket list.”
•  Furthering your education in order to pursue a different career.
•  Forgiving a person from your past and working on reconciliation.
•  Making a personal commit to Jesus as your Savior or working toward a deeper relationship with Him.    

   A Leap Year is a good time to take a leap of faith.  

After all you have one more day to make it happen.