The Cliff Test

Once upon a time there stood a lonely figure. This figure by turns took the shape of a man - tall and strong, with broad shoulders; a woman - lovely and graceful; or a child - innocent and pure. When the figure was a man, he had a duel personality; sometimes he was bold and brave, courageous and honest, bearing the scars of battle and always looking to the source of his strength. But sometimes he was small and sickly, a coward and too used to lying, cheating and stealing to survive. The first side of the man was not afraid of the sunlight and being righteously rebuked; the second side shrank away from the light, preferring to cower in the darkness and make trouble, living only for his own selfish ends. The woman, too, had a duel personality - two sides to her coin. On one side she was gracious and forgiving, supportive of those around her and always keeping her eyes open - looking for signs of trouble and for signs of help. When someone needed help, she would stretch out her hands and lift them up. On the other side, she would belittle and hurt people with her sharp tongue; she was always looking backwards, whining and complaining about the things she'd left behind. She was very insecure and distrustful of everyone - even those closest to her who had sworn to love and protect her. She strove to rule with a cold heart and an iron fist, equal or superior to man. The child had a duel personality too, but his was different. He was only a child, young and immature; his characters, thoughts and viewpoint of the world were changing and forming every day. One day he would wake up and find that his opinion had solidified and he would be one side of the coin. The question was; which side would he be?

Now, life for these people was viewed differently by each yet they could all agree that it was - at one point - safe, secure, bland and colorless. What they wanted they got, easily enough. But sometimes they would face challenges and crossings in the otherwise smooth Road of Life. What they did, said, and how they reacted to those challenges, bumps, unexpected setbacks and decisions were what shaped their character and, in some ways, directed the course of their lives. Many of these challenges came in the more or less harmless form of who to marry, where to live and work, what to have for dinner, and how many children to have. Sometimes additional challenges would be placed as sub-categories on these things; for example, where to work could be largely thwarted or changed based on education, job opportunities, employers' opinions, location, and whether or not they actually sent in their resume` or got hired in the first place. But always, everyone at one point in their lives would face the Cliff Test.

The Cliff Test is a time appointed by God wherein the person is tested by faith. The test subject would stand perfectly still, blindfolded, and be told to take a step forward. Now, they were blindfolded so they had no idea what lay ahead of them. For all they knew, they could be stepping off a step or off a cliff. Likewise, they didn't know what was behind them but it could be either safe or the edge of a cliff. What they were required to do was to decide whether they would trust the still small voice whispering in their ear to take a step forward.

You remember our friends from the opening paragraph, right? Well, when the man would face this Cliff Test, there were two outcomes. First, if he was the cowardly distrustful man he would either take a step backwards and try to run away, or take a step to the side, hoping to outwit the test and escape. Sometimes he would just stand there, stuck, and never venture any further in his life. But if it was the upright honest man, he would shortly realize that "To go back was to admit defeat," but to go forward would either kill him or advance him further along the Road of Life in some way. Now, the cowardly man could decide to step forward into the light and change his life around - it was never too late for anyone; but the honest man could also make the same decision and chose to step back, away from the light and retracing his steps down the wrong road. If the man decided to go forward, he would put his trust in the still small voice and take a step forward. One of two things would happen; either he would step down as one steps down from a block of wood or a stair. Or, he would plunge down the cliff, tumbling about in the air and inadvertently falling into another test to trust God to catch him before he hit the ground.

When the woman would stand, posed at the edge of a critical decision, she would face all the same options as the man did, and both sides of her personality would come to similar conclusions. What normally differed between the two was how she reacted to the test. Sometimes she would stand there, blindfolded, and talk about the decision, the implication of it and what would happen to her if she picked any other option. Sometimes she would yell and scream, venting her fear and frustration to the heavens. She would feel, if she was the sharp tongued side, that she was being wronged; forced to make a decision that was so common and beneath her, or to take orders from a man, or risk her life simply to prove a point. Or sometimes, she would curl up inside herself and cry, whimpering and bemoaning her fate, whining about the difficulty of the test and thinking about how unfair it all was. Even the gracious woman would whimper and protest against yet another test, a test she didn't want to take, or how unfair it all seemed to her. But inevitably, she would make her decision whether she knew it or not, and she would either stand there whining and crying, or step backwards into the unknown, or take a leap of faith.

On the occasion that a child faced this test, the child's reactions were sometimes very predictable and sometimes entirely unexpected. If the child was already showing traits of growing up to be an honest man or gracious woman, then the pure innocent child would, with the legendary faith of a child, step forward without a second thought. But if the child was showing tendencies of another kind - dishonesty, mistrust and selfishness - then the child might do a double-take before deciding. Sometimes the honest child would hesitate, using caution before making his decision, and sometimes the dishonest child would smile and leap without a second thought, not realizing what lay before him.

Each person reacts differently to the challenges in life and each person faces different challenges at different times. Everyone has the potential to change - for better or worse. Some people come out of many battles while others only endure a few. Most people who face their battles head-on are better and stronger for it, finding they are able to endure more stress or challenges than if they hadn't gone through the first one. And some crumple beneath the weight of the first test, giving up and never forcing themselves to grow. So look around - at your life and the others' around you. Some people could be fighting a battle next to you and you'd never know it while others might be facing their first major challenge. Or you yourself might be in a hard place and need someone whose been there before you to help you through. Life is an ever-changing, ever-shifting Cliff Test.