The Story
There’s an old story told about the famous tightrope walker Charles Blondin, who crossed Niagara Falls on a rope in the 1850s. As the story goes, he pushed a wheelbarrow across the falls while a huge crowd watched. When he came back, he asked them, “Do you believe I can push a person across in this wheelbarrow?”
The crowd roared. “Yes! We believe!”
Blondin smiled and said, “Then who will get in?”
The crowd went silent.
Every person there believed. Not one of them trusted him enough to climb in. That’s the gap a lot of us live in. We believe in Jesus. We’d say yes if someone asked. But have we ever actually gotten in the wheelbarrow?
The Scripture
“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)
“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:17 (NIV)
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21 (NIV)
How I Understand This Scripture
Paul wasn’t writing to unbelievers when he said “examine yourselves.” He was writing to a church. These were people who sang the songs and knew the language. He still told them to check.
I understand that to mean that being around faith isn’t the same as living it. James says the same thing in plain words. Faith that never moves your hands, your mouth, or your wallet isn’t really alive. And Jesus warns that saying the right words isn’t enough. He’s looking for a life that follows Him, not just a mouth that agrees with Him.
This isn’t about earning salvation. We are saved by grace. But real faith always shows up somewhere. If it never shows up anywhere, that’s worth an honest look.
My Reflection
I’ll be honest. This one convicts me. It’s easy to measure my faith by what I know or how long I’ve been a believer. It’s harder to measure it by how I treat people when I’m tired, what I do when nobody’s watching, and whether I trust God when the money is tight.
So here’s a simple self test. Read each question slowly and answer it honestly. Nobody else needs to see your answers.
1. Does my faith change my schedule? Is time with God something I plan, or something I fit in when there’s room?
2. Does my faith change my mouth? Would the people I work with know I follow Jesus by the way I talk?
3. Does my faith change how I forgive? Is there someone I’m still holding hostage in my heart?
4. Does my faith change my money? Do I give, or do I only give when it’s easy?
5. Does my faith show up in private? Am I the same person alone as I am on Sunday?
6. Does my faith cost me anything? Have I ever said no to something I wanted because I knew God wanted something else?
7. Do I trust God when it’s scary? When life gets hard, is prayer my first move or my last resort?
8. Am I growing? Am I more like Jesus than I was a year ago?
9. Does anyone else benefit from my faith? Have I served someone, encouraged someone, or told someone about Jesus lately?
10. Do I actually know Him? Not about Him. Him.
If you got to the end of that list and felt a little uncomfortable, good. That’s not condemnation. That’s the Holy Spirit inviting you closer. The goal isn’t to feel guilty. The goal is to get in the wheelbarrow.
Pick one question where you came up short. Just one. Ask God to grow you there this week. Faith that goes far enough isn’t built in a day. It’s built one honest step at a time.
Prayer
Father, I don’t want a faith that only lives in my head. Search my heart and show me where I’ve believed without trusting. Where my faith has stayed safe and comfortable, stretch it. Where I’ve said “Lord, Lord” without following, turn me back to You. Give me courage to get in the wheelbarrow and trust You fully. Let my faith be real, alive, and visible to the people around me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Please share this post. Someone you know needs to ask themselves these questions today. Send it to your friends, your family, your small group, and anyone you can. It might be the push someone needs to move from believing to trusting.
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