Going to the Canadian National Exhibition is a family tradition. Watching the performances is always the highlight of the day. Appearing before the crowds day after day, with multiple shows, has to be exhausting. That’s why the performers usually retreat behind a curtain as soon as their act is over. The Flying Wallendas were the exception. But what happened after the show was every bit as moving as the act itself. I didn’t expect to get a masterclass on sharing my faith, but that’s what happened. Let me explain.
Look for natural opportunities
There’s a good reason that the Flying Wallendas have been in the circus business for over 200 years. They put on an incredible show and display an unusual dedication to their craft. Watching a 63-year-old man do a headstand or ride a bicycle while balancing others on a high wire was truly impressive. But after the show, instead of retreating for a rest, Tino Wallenda stayed behind to speak with the crowds and handed out free pictures of his act with the story of his faith on the back.
If he had shared his testimony during the act, it would have distracted from the performance. After the show, it was personal and inviting. I appreciated the care he had taken to develop the cards and how generous he was with his time.
I think we all have natural opportunities to share our faith if we make the effort to look for them.
Keep the focus on Jesus
Tino’s story of faith began with a touching story of how his grandfather taught him to walk the high wire when he was 7. He learned how to hold his body rigidly, keep his elbows close, and put his big toe on the wire with his heel inside. But the most important thing he learned was to focus his concentration on a point at the other end of the wire—this was the key to maintaining balance.
He quoted Hebrews 12:2, “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,” and explained how he had come to believe that fixing his eyes on Jesus was the key to maintaining balance in life.
He also shared how he had been changed by Hebrews 4:13: “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” He felt lost imagining his sins laid bare before a holy God, but found hope in Jesus as the one who had crossed the chasm that separated him from God.
I appreciated how Tino shared a very personal story of his faith but kept the focus on Jesus.
You don’t have to be a natural
Because Tino wrote and spoke about his faith so naturally, I assumed it had always come easily to him. But I was surprised to read in an interview that it hadn’t. When he left the troupe and began a new act with his wife, he found the work hard and the response unsatisfying. He felt little of the presence of God in his life. In despair one day, he got down on his knees and had to admit that the frustration he was feeling was a result of refusing to give God control in his life.
He surrendered his life and career into God’s hands, asking Him to lead. Prayer and Bible study became a daily habit, and he surrounded himself with other believers. Soon after, he began to receive requests from churches and prisons asking him to perform, but also to share his faith and the hope of the gospel. This was far outside his comfort zone. But as he surrendered his fears and did what God asked, God began to use Tino’s craft and his story to impact people’s lives.
He would later write, “No longer was my performance just a source of entertainment; it was a source of hope.” I think everyone should have that goal to see our life’s work not only in terms of the tasks that are required for us to earn a paycheque, but also as a means to point people to the eternal hope that we have in Jesus.
If God could help Tino overcome his fears to share his faith, He can do the same in our lives.
Tino’s example reminds me that sharing our faith doesn’t need to be flashy or forced—it just needs to be faithful. If God can use a high-wire act to point people to Jesus, then He can use our everyday work, conversations, and opportunities as well. Consider how God might use you today.
In awe of Him,
Paul
