Be like the grasshopper.

At work, I often have to walk long stretches through scenic courtyards that connect our buildings. This summer, littering every inch of sidewalk has been hundreds of grasshoppers. They jump out of my way as I stroll along, and I noticed something after watching hundreds of them leap around. 

They jump dozens of times their body length, casting themselves up into the air and — this is the interesting part — slam into the ground, not usually on their legs. I watch as they land, roll, spin, and find their way back to their feet. 

Even more interesting is, after some research, they can’t see very fine detail. They have several eyes and different lens types, good for detecting threats from 270 degrees, but not good for making out a spot several feet away…where they will land. 

So for comparison, imagine you could throw yourself across a football field just by jumping. But the football field is covered in fog, so you can’t see what awaits you when you land. And you won’t land on your feet, so you kind of just hit the ground and make your way back to your feet. But your skin is also made of armor, so you’re alright on that front. 

Would you even make that jump once? 
Much less, just about every time you move?

It made me respect the insects a bit more, thinking about jumping blindly into the unknown and slamming into the pavement, comically unhurt. 

They showed me just how unlike a grasshopper I am. Or, most of us are. 

We are capable of hurling ourselves across the planet…yet we usually don’t.We opt instead for comfort and certainty. We want to be able to see dozens of steps into the future, with perfect certainty about where we are going and how it will turn out for us. When we make a big move, we need to know exactly how everything will land, and we want to ‘hit the ground running,’ so to speak.

So how do we become more like the grasshopper? 

Recognize that we have built-in armor already. How many of us live unaware of just how much of an exoskeleton we have? And I don’t mean physically, I mean in life. How many safety nets do we have, but never even take advantage of? 

If you’re reading this on a computer or phone screen, chances are, you have enough safety nets surrounding you to make any jump you desire. And if you’re a believer in Jesus, you know that there couldn’t be more armor than the protection and care of God! What the heck are you afraid of?

You may slam into the ground and tumble around for a moment, but you’ll get back to your feet soon enough.

The jump won’t kill you. 

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Day 54 of 100 Days of Blog

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