For me, I love the water. It has to be clear and I have to see my feet. The place my family loved to go each summer was Jacks Fork river. The water is clear and I can always see just where my feet are going. I can swim some, enough to save my life I think, our children are all great swimmers. For me, I try and try, but to no avail I cannot swim under water. I try to swim under, only to float right back up in a matter of minutes. Now, the best part of Jacks Fork for our kids is jumping off the big cliff. The first time you climb up its scary looking down. The view is amazing, but as you stand up there it looks much higher than it is. There was a time I believe I stood up there forever thinking,"Can I really dive in?" That first time I didn't dive in, I crawled back down, and watched others jump in having all the fun. So at my second attempt I stood, I looked and I jumped in, went under the water, and came up laughing and feeling just how great it was. I saw at that moment what I had been missing that all the others were so enjoying. Our christian life can be the same. We can be standing, wanting to dive in, but we are afraid. We are afraid to look down, look around, and we become stuck. God makes our paths clear, He shows us just where our feet are, and where He is sending them. We can be so afraid to dive in, we are missing all the blessings He has for us, and we are missing the opportunities to touch others lives. If we are not going to dive in, He will use others and we will miss out, just as sitting on the beach, and never letting the water touch our feet. Standing on the sidelines watching others have fun is no fun at all. For the longest time before I did dive in, that is what I did. I sat on the beach and watched everyone around me diving in, splashing the water, and making it move. How can we dive in if our feet are not leaving the ground? How can God use us for His gain and His glory if we are not leaving the sand? We must allow Him to move our feet and set our pathways before us. We must set our feet on the pathway He sets before us, and take His hand and jump in, the water will feel awesome once we let go of our fears. Our fears hold us back and keep us from moving. God knows no fear, and He doesn't place that fear in us. He can give us the strength we need to make that first jump. Once we make that first dive, the rest is a treat, the rest become so joyful, we feel as though we gotta keep jumping in, we gotta get our feet wet to move for God. Don't allow satan to tell you to stay on the beach. Don't listen to his words to you saying,"You cannot do this, you don't know what to say, you don't know what to do, and why would God use you anyway?" Why would God use you? Because He loves you, and He created in you many gifts to share with the world, but if we stay on the beach we are missing out sharing those with others. That first dive is the hardest, but all that follow we learn from, we grow from and we begin to live each day as we are diving in the deep waters for God. Jump in and feel just how free you can be. Let the water cover you, and let your faith carry you across. You want to feel your heart beat? Jump in, and get your feet wet! Theres no other feeling like diving in for Christ! "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying,'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." John 7:37-38
Monday, August 10, 2009
Are you ready to dive in?
For me, I love the water. It has to be clear and I have to see my feet. The place my family loved to go each summer was Jacks Fork river. The water is clear and I can always see just where my feet are going. I can swim some, enough to save my life I think, our children are all great swimmers. For me, I try and try, but to no avail I cannot swim under water. I try to swim under, only to float right back up in a matter of minutes. Now, the best part of Jacks Fork for our kids is jumping off the big cliff. The first time you climb up its scary looking down. The view is amazing, but as you stand up there it looks much higher than it is. There was a time I believe I stood up there forever thinking,"Can I really dive in?" That first time I didn't dive in, I crawled back down, and watched others jump in having all the fun. So at my second attempt I stood, I looked and I jumped in, went under the water, and came up laughing and feeling just how great it was. I saw at that moment what I had been missing that all the others were so enjoying. Our christian life can be the same. We can be standing, wanting to dive in, but we are afraid. We are afraid to look down, look around, and we become stuck. God makes our paths clear, He shows us just where our feet are, and where He is sending them. We can be so afraid to dive in, we are missing all the blessings He has for us, and we are missing the opportunities to touch others lives. If we are not going to dive in, He will use others and we will miss out, just as sitting on the beach, and never letting the water touch our feet. Standing on the sidelines watching others have fun is no fun at all. For the longest time before I did dive in, that is what I did. I sat on the beach and watched everyone around me diving in, splashing the water, and making it move. How can we dive in if our feet are not leaving the ground? How can God use us for His gain and His glory if we are not leaving the sand? We must allow Him to move our feet and set our pathways before us. We must set our feet on the pathway He sets before us, and take His hand and jump in, the water will feel awesome once we let go of our fears. Our fears hold us back and keep us from moving. God knows no fear, and He doesn't place that fear in us. He can give us the strength we need to make that first jump. Once we make that first dive, the rest is a treat, the rest become so joyful, we feel as though we gotta keep jumping in, we gotta get our feet wet to move for God. Don't allow satan to tell you to stay on the beach. Don't listen to his words to you saying,"You cannot do this, you don't know what to say, you don't know what to do, and why would God use you anyway?" Why would God use you? Because He loves you, and He created in you many gifts to share with the world, but if we stay on the beach we are missing out sharing those with others. That first dive is the hardest, but all that follow we learn from, we grow from and we begin to live each day as we are diving in the deep waters for God. Jump in and feel just how free you can be. Let the water cover you, and let your faith carry you across. You want to feel your heart beat? Jump in, and get your feet wet! Theres no other feeling like diving in for Christ! "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying,'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." John 7:37-38
