I was such a tomboy when I was a little girl.  I had dolls, Barbies and girly stuff , but I really enjoyed playing with my brother’s trucks too.  

Our yard was the yard.  Everyone played in our yard.  Our house was in the middle of the block and our yard was flat and perfect for all sports.  We played football in the front and baseball in the backyard. Four-square was a big fun and our double driveway was the perfect size for that too.

I thought that I was pretty tough playing all the games alongside the boys of the neighborhood.  A few of the other girls played sometimes but it was mostly me and the boys.

There was a tree between our house and our neighbors house.  We climbed it often just like the other big trees on our street.  One day things just didn’t go as they usually did. I climbed way up in the tree and scouted about but when it was time to come down, well, I couldn’t do it.  My friends tried to talk me down, telling me where to put my feet and which branch to hold onto next, but it didn’t work. I just couldn’t do it, I was scared! Nothing they said helped.  I held on tighter with each suggestion.

Finally, I cried out, “Go get my daddy!”  

Daddy came outside to see what was the matter.  He tried to talk me down just like my friends had done, but I still couldn’t do it. After awhile he was getting a little frustrated and he said, “Patti-cake, you’re just going to have to trust me.  Jump, I’ll catch you.”

Sometimes when I’ve messed things up because I’ve gotten too sure of myself and made decisions without praying about it first or acted on what I thought was a good idea instead of talking to God about it first and waiting on His answer,  is when I call out for help from my heavenly Daddy.   

Then after His gentle redirection I can almost hear Him say, “Patti-cake, you’re just going to have to trust me.”

No matter how tough we think we are, no matter how much we think ‘we’ve got this’, God is still the one I cry out to for help when I – get stuck up in a tree.  You can trust Him too.   Proverbs 3:5-6, verses that are a favorite of  mine come to mind, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

In other words, trust Him and jump – He’ll catch you~!