A view from my tight rope

I'm teetering on a tight rope, high above the sure foundation of the solid ground. I never asked to scale the ladder that led to this daring feat. It was never my intention to end up on the high wire. Yet, here I am living on the edge, pushing back my fear as I painstakingly take another step forward.
As I wobble back and worth I glance at the ground far below and immediately my mind is filled with troubling "what ifs."... What if my foot slips? What if the wire blows in the wind? What if I lose my balance?... I catch my breath, practically paralyzed by the limitless dangers of the "what ifs." If my foot slips, I'll trip forward and fall downward. If the wind blows the wire will sway and I'll lose my footing. If I lose my balance, I'll tumble right off of this wire and end up down there on that cold, hard, unforgiving ground. I'll end up dead. Defeated.
Reality pulls me back to the wire. I can't stop to think about the "what ifs." I can't stop moving. If I stop, I'll fall. I'll look down instead of looking straight ahead. If I think too much about the peril below I'll lose sight of the purpose ahead; the purpose of making it to the other side of this wire.
So I look back up. I close my eyes for just a moment and reestablish my footing. The wire is thin but it is steady. The wind isn't blowing and the rope is tight. I can walk this wire if I keep my eyes fixed on my destination. If I can just keep my mind fixated on victory I can overcome defeat.
I open my eyes once again and this time I don't look down. I look up, straight ahead. I stare with fixated obsession on the glory at the end of the rope. I look at the platform that signals safety and stability. And I walk. One deliberate, confident step at a time I move forward. I don't let my mind think of a single "what if." I cast off every fear. I look only to the future glory of life at the end of the wire.
With one sure and steady step at a time I make my way across the wire. It is longer than I ever imagined. The wire seems to go on forever but I'm not falling. I am upright and, with each successful step forward I am less fearful of the future. I believe that I can make it. I trust that I will not fall. My legs don't wobble as much as they did at the start and my feet don't feel as weak. The rope does not look as scary. The feat doesn't seem so daring.
I haven't made it to the end of my rope just yet. The high wire of my life's journey is still before me. I am still traveling, step by steady step forward into the future. But I am no longer filled with fear at the distance I must travel because I have confidence in the rope and who is holding it tight. I trust the God who is directing the winds and keeping me stable. I am not looking at the dangers of the ground below because I am looking at the glory above. And I have peace. Even on this rope I have rest and assurance because my God has placed me on this tight rope and established for me a way forward.
I will not fear the long walk to the other side of this tight rope because I know He is with me on the wire.