Three Points of Contact

Teetering on two feet and a fingertip. Wobbling on one foot, a hip and an elbow. Shaking on a shoulder, one foot and a forehead.

Contortions are the norm when straining at the top of a 20-foot ladder, trying to paint a spot close to 30-feet above the ground. No matter how precarious the situation though, if my body had three points of contact with something solid - the ladder, the side of the house, or the roof – I felt a little steadier and a little more secure. I was just happy for some sense of stability by touching something firm and grounded, no matter which combination of body parts I used.

Moving off the ladder and onto the firm, but sloped, roof was no prize either. While painting around an electrical line feeding the house, I limboed under the wire with one foot and my bottom scraping along the lower roof, and a white-knuckle death grip on the upper roof above me. As I scooted under the wire, I released the upper roof, and quickly jammed my other foot against a 1-inch wide window frame edge to re-establish a third contact point as fast as I could. Take away any one of those contact points, and I slip down the roof and right into the emergency room, covered in paint.

When trying to put Jesus in a precarious position, the Pharisees tested Him by asking “Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (Matthew 22:36) Jesus’ reply indicates we need three points of contact between us and God for peace, clarity and security: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22: 37).

No matter how wobbly, rickety or shaky things seem at work, at home or in the world around us, these three points of spiritual contact with God bring more than just some vague sense of stability. In time, through prayer, fasting and Bible study, we will be able to stand grounded and firm on “the Rock eternal” (Isaiah 26:4), even though it might seem like we’re just hanging on by a fingernail, a hair and an eyelash.