Indiana Jones and Faith

“When you come to the edge of all the light you know, and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: There will be something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly.” - Barbara J. Winter

The quote reminds me a scene from the third of the Indiana Jones movies, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, in which Indy is searching for the Cup of Christ. Towards the end of the movie, he comes to a ravine he must cross. The crossing is not far - perhaps 15 feet - but the ravine is no ordinary ravine. Hundreds and hundreds of feet of vertical cliff on both sides up and down, left and right. Indy checks his references and notes, from these he knows he must express the ultimate faith.

He stands there, crosses himself, takes a deep breath, closes his eyes - and steps out. His foot lands on a bridge that wasn't there a moment earlier.

In this case Indy had 'something solid to stand on'. Sometimes that's what we get, support in the most unexpected, unseen way. The other side is newborn birds who still not knowing how to fly reach the edge of the nest and off they go.

Winter is right - it takes deep faith to know we are always given the right tools at the right time and the scene is a great illustration of that.