Take The Plunge!

Have you ever stood at the edge of a diving board and looked down into the water? Maybe you were too scared to jump. And perhaps you were just as scared to climb back down too. One thing was for sure, you had to make a choice because you certainly couldn't pitch a tent on the board and live there. So, you rallied your courage, took that first step and jumped. That's where I am - on the diving board taking that first step.

I just returned from a birthday party for one of Avari's friends. It was a swimming party - man, I always loved those as a kid! Of course, all of the kids were older than Avari, and most were jumping off the small diving board at the deep end of the pool. For some, the first time they jumped they were filled with trepidation. Most took the plunge. One dad gave an encouraging push to his son. It was funny to see that for each of them the first time was the hardest. After jumping into the unknown, they found that it was actually a lot of fun.

That is what I am finding in my life over the last couple of weeks. God has challenged me and my family to do something truly audacious. I cannot really speak in specifics right now, but suffice it to say that we will have to move out of our comfort zone in a big way.

I wasn't particularly thrilled with Papa's challenge. In fact, at first I considered refusing Him. That lasted all of an hour. Last Sunday I had a particularly frustrating morning. There's no point in getting into the gory details. Let's just say that prior to our service starting I had endured enough trials to take the wind out of my worship sails. I made up my mind that despite or maybe because of these frustrating circumstances I was going to worship my Father with all my strength. I could hear Him whisper as I played my guitar, "You can either stay where you are and live in misery, or you can walk with me into the unknown and live in joy and power." Can you guess which option I chose?

Now that I'm taking that leap of faith, I'm finding that while the butterflies are still there, I'm really looking forward to these new vistas we will be exploring. I am sure we will encounter some bumps along the way, but the rewards far outweigh any risks. And, of course, there really is no risk when you are walking in His will.

So, climb that ladder, shuffle yourself out to the edge of the board, and jump into Papa's will and His open arms!!