Yesterday, my wife, daughter, and I had the privilege of meeting Janay DeLoach, currently ranked #2 in the world in the long jump.  We actually were able to watch her train as she prepares for the upcoming USA Indoor National Championships, and beyond that, making the US Olympic team for the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympics in London.  This opportunity to meet such a great athlete came about because my daughter is transferring to Colorado State University and will join their track team as a jumper.  Janay graduated from CSU in 2008 and continues to be coached by the jumps coach there.  Interestingly, my daughter will have the privilege of being coached by this same coach, as well as Janay, since she is also a volunteer assistant with the team!

Being coached by a potential Olympic athlete and the coach who coaches her is certainly an amazing opportunity for my daughter.  But frankly, this situation would have never occurred had my daughter not been willing to make a “long jump” in life.  Over Christmas she decided to walk away from a full scholarship for volleyball at UCONN as a junior, believing that God had other plans for her life.  Honestly, it stressed me somewhat (okay, a lot) at first, considering we’ve not had to pay one cent to date for her college education.  Yet at the same time, I couldn’t be more proud of her for wanting to pursue God’s purposes for her life.  A “long jump” for her and for my wife and me for sure; because indeed it has been a real leap of faith.  But as we’ve already seen, God seems to always have something more amazing in mind on the other end of the long jump– in our case, my daughter has been given the opportunity to be coached and trained by the #2 women’s long jumper in the world!

My point in sharing this is not to brag, but to encourage you to consider the “long jump” that God may be asking you to take.  Sure, as you stand on the edge of the proverbial cliff, it may look like a long way down; but perhaps in actuality, it is really a leap of faith that will take you a long way up!  Maybe too, the enticement or comfortability of your present situation is keeping you anchored to the “line” when God wants you to run and launch yourself into an entirely new season of amazing opportunity and significance!  Further, the “long jump” of faith, trust, or commitment that God may be calling you to is not always about a relocation; often it’s all about a reformation- a leap to a new level of living a Christ-coached life!

Whatever the long jump of faith may be for your life, you’ll never know what lies ahead until you make the leap!