The Great Blondin

Charles Blondin was basically the Evel Knievel of his day. But instead of riding motorcycles, he walked tightropes. And in 1859, he decided he was going to tightrope walk across the gorge below Niagara Falls. 

Great idea, right? But he did it! He walked all the way from the American side to the Canadian side, and when he got there, over the thunderous applause he cried, "That's not all!" and turned around and walked back. The crowds watching went wild! When he got back to the American side he bowed and said, "Thank you! Now, who believes I could do it again?" The people cheered loudly. The Great Blondin smiled and asked, "Who believes I could do it again - while pushing this wheelbarrow across with me?" The people cheered even louder! They believed! And then the Great Blondin asked - "Then who wants to get in the wheelbarrow!" and the crowd was suddenly silent. 

It seems clear, then, that there is a very important difference between belief and the sort of faith that would lead us to action. James E. Talmage wrote: 

"Belief ... may consist in a merely intellectual assent, while faith implies such confidence and conviction as will impel to action ... Belief is in a sense passive, an agreement or acceptance only; faith is active and positive, embracing such reliance and confidence as will lead to works. Faith in Christ comprises belief in Him, combined with trust in Him. One cannot have faith without belief; yet he may believe and still lack faith. Faith is vivified, vitalized, living belief." {Articles of Faith, p. 98-99, emphasis added}

In order to have "faith in the Lord Jesus Christ," {Articles of Faith 1:4}, we must not only believe in Him, but also place our trust in Him {Proverbs 3:5}.


But what does it mean to trust? When I think of trust, I think of words like "confidence" and "rely." I think of that trust-fall game where you fall backwards and trust the person behind you to catch you before you hit the ground. I think of the people I trust most, and why I trust them. Significantly, they're all people that I know really well. 


In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Nephi once wrote about a time when he was feeling very depressed. "Nevertheless," he wrote, "I know in whom I have trusted. My God hath been my support." {2 Ne. 4:19-20}. He then goes on to recount specific examples of when the Lord has been there for him. Nephi trusted God because he knew Him. Conversely, his older brothers Laman and Lemuel "knew not the dealings of that God who had created them," {1 Ne. 2:12} and so they murmured and did not trust in God. 
How can you trust a being you know nothing about? Luckily, the Lord has given us ample information about Himself in order that we might come to learn of Him and trust Him. And through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can come to have a personal relationship with God and communicate with Him through prayer and the Holy Spirit. The more we come to know our Savior, the more we will be able to have trust in Him. Henry B. Eyring taught: 

"Trust comes from knowing God. More than any other people on earth, we have, through the glorious events of the Restoration of the gospel, felt the peace that the Lord offered His people with the words “Be still, and know that I am God" {Ps. 46:10}. My heart is filled with gratitude for what God has revealed about Himself that we might trust Him."

As I am working on coming to know my Savior better, I find it helps to think of traits that the people I trust most all have in common, and how the Lord meets these as well. If I'm going to trust someone, I need to know that they are always going to be there for me - that they've always been there in the past, and that they always will be. It's pretty hard to play the trust-fall game with someone who has dropped you in the past :) I need to have confidence in their wisdom and knowledge - I trust my parents because {usually} they know better than me ;) I also need to be confident in their power and ability to be there for me and catch me if I need them. I don't play trust-fall with little kids... they physically can't catch me! I prefer to play with stronger people :) Most of all, in order to trust someone I need to be completely sure in their love for me, to know that they will always do what's best for me because of their love for me. God is the perfect embodiment of all of these trustworthy characteristics: 

• He is perfectly consistent. He doesn't change {Mormon 9:9} {Malachi 3:6}, and He's been always been there in the past {Joshua 1:5}.
• He is all-knowing - He knows the past, present, and the future, and He knows what's best {2 Nephi 9:20} {2 Nephi 2:24} {Words of Mormon 1:7}.
• He is all-powerful, even to the fulfilling of all His words {Alma 37:16}. He is strong enough to catch me when I fall, and powerful enough to help me accomplish His will {Jeremiah 32:17} {1 Nephi 17:51} {1 Nephi 4:1} {1 Nephi 7:12}
• He is perfectly loving {John 3:16} {1 Nephi 11:17}. Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, "Think of the purest, most all-consuming love you can imagine. Now multiply that love by an infinite amount—that is the measure of God’s love for you." He loves us so much that He wouldn't do anything if it wasn't for our good {2 Nephi 26:24}.

Jesus Christ is the most trustworthy person we could ever know. He not only desires my eternal happiness more than anything, He has the knowledge and the power to make it happen. So how do we place our trust in Him? Henry B. Eyring taught: 

"You show your trust in Him when you listen with the intent to learn and repent and then you go and do whatever He asks. If you trust God enough to listen for His message in every sermon, song, and prayer ... you will find it. And if you then go and do what He would have you do, your power to trust Him will grow, and in time you will be overwhelmed with gratitude to find that He has come to trust you."

We place our trust in the Lord by acting in confidence with His will. If we trust in him, we will go out and obey His counsel.

In 1859, the Great Blondin crossed his famous tightrope several more times in elaborate ways, and even offered to pay anyone willing let him carry them across the Falls. There were several suitable applicants, but after looking at the swirling depths of the gorge, each one quietly walked away. Nevertheless, Charles Blondin announced that he would indeed be carrying a man across the gorge on his back - his friend and manager, Harry Colcord. And so on August 17th, Colcord was strapped to Blondin's back, and the pair set off across the tightrope. As they reached the halfway point - the most dangerous section of the rope - Blondin said to his friend, "Harry, you are not longer Colcord; you are Blondin. Until I clear this place be a part of me—mind, body, and soul. If I sway, sway with me. Do not attempt to do any balancing yourself. If you do we shall both go down to our death." Harry trusted his wiser, more experienced friend, and carefully the Great Blondin continued along until at long last the pair reached the other side, safe and sound. {taken from an article in Highlights magazine by K.C. Tessendorf} 


Trust in our Savior comes from knowing our Savior. If we are willing to not only believe in our Him, but also to add our unfailing trust in Him to that belief, then we will be more than just passive believers - we will be active disciples. And our faith will have the power to sustain us when we are weak, lead us to do good works, and make us whole.




see also this, this, and this.