Little girl toes curled over the concrete edge of the swimming pool, knees and body bent into a crouch, arms stretched to the max, splayed fingers reached for the outstretched hands of her swimming teacher, legs quivered, heart pounded, unsure, afraid. Her teacher said, “Jump!” She so badly wanted to jump but the water was scary. “Jump!” Wanting, stretching, reaching, scared. “Jump!” Then she sprang into the arms of her teacher. It was a terrifying and exhilarating splashing spluttering moment! Her family erupted into applause.

There are important lessons of faith that can be learned at the local swimming pool when taking your grandkids to their swimming lessons. I watched another little girl jump with joyful reckless abandon. My grandson leaped a bit nervously but trusted his teacher’s catching arms. I’m like him when it comes to leaps of faith. Nervous, a bit worried, but trusting the Teacher.

Sometimes God brings us to a risky edge and asks us to jump. It’s scary and everything in us screams caution, but the jump is never into the unknown. It’s known to Him, and He is present in it waiting for our faith to spring into action. With every jump, something in us changes and grows as we fall into His faithfulness.

God keeps bringing me to places of risk. My toes curl over the edge, stretching out nervously, quivering, wanting, reaching, scared. Every time I trust Him and jump, something in me is deeply changed by His faithfulness. I want to get to the place of reckless joyful abandonment, but I’m not quite there yet.

When God calls you to something outlandish, “Be reckless immediately – totally unrestrained and willing to risk everything – by casting your all upon Him. You do not know when His voice will come to you, but whenever the realization of God comes…be determined to recklessly abandon yourself, surrendering everything to Him.”[1]

From the water, Jesus called out to Peter, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Jump!

[1] Chambers, Oswald. (1992). My Utmost for His Highest. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.