I am at the neighborhood pool with my four year old grandson. I’m standing waist deep in the water, trying to coax him into coming down the pool steps and joining me. He is hesitant. He explains he is afraid of going under the water. I assure him I will be there to catch him.
After much cajoling and encouragement, he slowly builds up the courage to go down two steps, reach out his arms, and leap toward me. I snatch him and pull him close to me, giving him a big hug and praising him for being such a brave boy. He is very pleased with his accomplishment, and immediately wants to do it again. And again. And again.
After several jumps and several catches and several big smiles, I decide it’s time for him to take the next step. I want him to get past his fear of being underwater. If he’s going to learn to swim, he has to get accustomed to holding his breath and controlling his body. This time, as he lunges toward me, I relax my arms just a bit. Just enough so that he lands in the water and sinks below the surface for just a second. Then I quickly yank him up and say “See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
His face has a look of stunned surprise, as water runs down from his hair, and out from his eyes and nose. Uh-oh, I think. Is he going to cry and run away, never to trust me again? Thankfully, he recovers from the shock in a few seconds, and the big smile returns as he screams out “That was fun! Do it again!” Whence follows many, many more jumps, submergences, pull-ups and smiles. He’s okay going under, just so long as I’m there to pull him up.
I guess life is kind of like that. We cruise along in our comfort zones, afraid to take that plunge, that leap into a new adventure, a new challenge. What if it doesn’t work out? What if it leaves me twisting in the wind, embarrassed, my self esteem sinking. Sort of like ……… being under water?
We’re not inclined to be brave unless we can be sure of rescue, of someone there to catch us and pull us up out of our adversity. The book of Psalms mentions the word “rescue” 129 times. The whole message is summed up in 34:22. “The Lord will rescue His servants. No one who takes refuge in Him will be condemned.”
Whatever your dilemma might be, just do the right thing. It probably won’t be the easiest option, or the most desirable, or the most self-gratifying. If it was, it wouldn’t be a dilemma. Just know that, if you put your faith in Him, he’ll be there to catch you. He may let you go underwater for a while, just to get you prepared for the next step. You may be shocked and stunned at your unexpected circumstances, but in time you’ll recover and realize you don’t have to be afraid.
In fact, you may even break out a huge smile, and look for opportunities to do the right thing again. And again. And again.