Rarely have I ever finished a book, put it down, and wanted to pick it right back up again and read it. That was the case when I finished Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me, by Ian Cron. It’s funny, touching, sad, and poignant. And it ends…well, it ends…in the place you would want anything and everything to end.

An especially engaging part happens late in the book. It’s a riveting story about a quarry-turned-swimming-hole where a family adventure takes place. I won’t give it away. You’ll have to read it for yourself. But the story includes these wise words:

There is a big difference in life between a jump and a fall. A jump is about courage and faith, something the world is in short supply of these days. A fall is, well, a fall.

Are you jumping today…or falling? It seems to me that falling is:

• lacking control
• letting it happen
• losing to the force of gravity

On the other hand, jumping is:

• having control
• making it happen
• defying the force of gravity

Taking a leap is scary because, as Cron says, it requires courage and faith. But a fall is even more dreadful. There’s no courage. There’s no faith.

Courage and faith overcome the terror of falling and make it instead an exhilarating, exuberant jump into the unknown or only semi-known. It gets the blood rushing and the adrenaline flowing. It’s exciting and inspiring.

A fall often ends in injury.

A leap ends with the idea to push the proverbial envelope and do it again…or do even more.

A leap means moving to New York City, Nashville, or New Orleans if that’s what it takes to fulfill a dream. It means having the courage to do what others only think of doing. It means having the faith that no matter where the path leads there will be the gold of growth at the end.

Don’t settle for falling.

Take the leap.

You have the courage and faith.

You know you do.

What leap are you taking today? Please share your exhilarating jump in the comments below.