A couple summers ago, my kids and I went through a high ropes course at a Young Life camp in Colorado. If you’ve ever done a ropes course, you know you walk along wires suspended between trees about 50 feet above the ground. Of course, you’re wearing a helmet and safety harness and always tethered to a line that prevents any falls. There’s really no way to fall or get hurt.

Zach, who was in charge of the course, explained how even the wires that we walk across have safety redundancies built into them. It’s totally safe. Any perceived danger is an illusion.

And yet the girl in front of me on the course was afraid. Before attempting one part of the course, she asked one of the guides a number of questions about the equipment and if it would hold her. After considering his answers, she was still afraid. Eventually, she continued on and was, of course, quite safe.

After she completed the course, I heard her ask someone if she could do it again! She was disappointed to hear it would be another year before she’d have an opportunity to do it again. She discovered that the course is a lot of fun once you realize you’re completely safe, despite how things may appear.

I can relate to her. Not on the ropes course–I trusted the equipment and had a great time–but in my relationship with God. Sometimes I fear I’ll fall and God won’t catch me. I come to certain parts of the “course” and wonder if it’s safe. Will God’s promises hold me?

I’ll trust some wires and ropes and the young woman who safely lowered me to the ground at the end of the course, so why do I hesitate to trust the One who has said, “…do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Imagine how much more fun and exciting this life could be without the fear and anxiety of falling.

Remember this: God will uphold you. There’s no reason to be afraid.