There is a story about a man who walked a tight-rope across the Niagara Falls with a crowd watching. After he finished, he walked across the falls on the tightrope while pushing a wheelbarrow with his dog in it. Finally, after he did that, he walked across with his son in the wheelbarrow. When he finished, he asked a man in the crowd. “Do you think I could do that again?” the man answered, “yes.” He asked the man again, “are you really sure I can do that again?” the man said with confidence, “definitely.” Then the tight rope walker said to the man, “get in the wheelbarrow.”

In Luke 24:38, after Jesus rises from the dead, he visits the disciples and says, “Why are you frightened? Why are your hearts filled with doubt?”

As humans, we may seem to have great confidence in our opinions and beliefs, but sometimes we don’t believe enough to have the confidence to overcome our emotions and our logic. For the spectator and the tightrope walker, it is overcoming the fear that even though he saw the tightrope walker perform the stunt three times, he could not overcome his fear and get in the wheelbarrow, because of the potential risks.

In the case of the disciples, their logical minds had trouble accepting what they were seeing, Jesus alive, in the flesh, after they watched him be crucified.

It takes boldness and confidence in God’s commitment to be with us, for us to overcome our logic and our emotions and do what we know God wants us to. Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Dear Lord, When we are afraid, or our logic conflicts with our faithful following of your will, you can give us the strength to overcome. Help us overcome these obstacles to act for you. Help us realize each time we do, we have become more capable to overcome the next obstacle. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.