In the world of trapeze performance, there are “flyers” and there are “catchers.” Imagine yourself a trapeze flyer sailing through the air, flipping as you go. Then at the end of your rotation, as you hang in mid-air, you see the catcher. Your natural impulse is to reach out and grab for him. That’s certainly what I would do. I’d grab anything I could — his hands, his arms, his shirt, his hair. It wouldn’t matter. I’m grabbing a hold of something, anything, and hanging on to it for dear life!
But the flyer is trained to resist this impulse. He understands that it is preemptive for him to attempt to catch the catcher. Any such attempt would actually prevent the catcher from performing his task. In the world of high wire acrobatics, this principle has been reduced to a well-known axiom, attributed to Rodleigh of The Flying Rodleighs , which says, “The flyer is the one who lets go and the catcher is the one who catches. The flyer must never try to catch the catcher!” [1]
One of the great lessons of the spiritual life is to learn not to strive when God has called you to rest, or rest when God has called you to strive. The most important place of rest and trust is in the promise of salvation. The Bible says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). In other words, don’t try to catch God, let God catch you!
When it comes to the salvation of your soul, you are the one who must let go and trust God to catch you. Those who insist on catching God will only prevent Him from doing what He has promised to do. It isn’t your job to finish the work of Christ, but to rest in the finished work of Christ. This means you must cease from striving to earn your salvation and put your trust in God’s promise to save you. As Jesus declared, “It is finished!” So, let the Catcher catch you!
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1. Henri J. M. Nouwen , “Sabbatical Journey: The Diary of His Final Year,” September 2000.