Last week I was walking in Central Park and saw a couple doing a photo shoot.

They seemed to be dressed up in contemporary semi-formal wear of some sort. Like they would have been at home at a party on a boat.

To get their perfect water background shot, they had pushed themselves out on to a little isolated platform, while the photographer captured them, and the rest of the party watched. And as I walked by them, my first thought was: that could end badly.

Their shoes were not practical.

The ground looks uncertain.

That’s a bad place to fall.

And then while I was watching, he dropped to one knee, the party gasped, and we all realized that this was an elaborate ruse to create a picture-perfect proposal.

She said yes.

And everyone began to celebrate, congregate, and congratulate.

And suddenly I grasped the compound risk of the moment.

I’m looking at this guy thinking, dude, you could totally get wet. But he was taking a far greater step of faith.

Sure, he took the risk that he might fall.

He took the risk of proposing.

He took the risk of proposing publicly.

(And she took the risk of saying yes.)

And now, if all goes according to plan, they will take the risk of starting a life together.

All I saw were slippery shoes.

And that describes a lot of the walk of faith.

They exercised faith to build such fragile, complex, and mysterious things as a relationship.

Presumably, he needed faith the first time he asked this girl out.

They needed faith to make good first impressions, and each one after that..

They needed faith after their first awkward moment.

They needed faith after their first disagreement and first disappointment.

They needed faith to move from Introduction, to acquaintance, to friendship, to any kind of spiritual intimacy.

They have needed faith in the thousand hiccups inherent to getting to know, trust, like and love someone

And now they will need a new kind of faith, a commitment to stand by each other when life gets crazy, or they get scared, or upset, or hurt.

They will need faith to choose to stay together when they feel like they are growing apart.

And like me, a complete stranger walking by and judging the guy’s shoes, too often, onlookers will only see their most superficial exercises of faith. They will, however, have strong opinions about their choices. And this couple will need faith to ignore them, the faith to set boundaries, the faith to make wise decisions for themselves.

They will need faith if God blesses them with children, and faith if he doesn’t.

They will need faith for new jobs, and career changes, and uncertain finances.

They will need faith to support each-other’s dreams

They will need faith to deal with in laws who act like outlaws.

They will need faith for heartache and disappointment.

They will need faith for heartbreaking losses and devastating news. They will need it when they don’t get the dream job, or the vision gets delayed.

They will need faith when God opens a door, and when He closes one.

Life is hard.

And it is glorious.

And it is often both at the same time.

So today, for them, and us all, I pray for faith.

Sometimes Jesus will call us to walk on water.

Sometimes he will call us to walk near it.

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Mark 11:22-24 NIV

22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Walk by faith, beloved.

And try to wear practical shoes.

(Photo Credit: The Glorious Studio)