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!!

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Imagine All The People . . .

I know I'm a day late (several days, really) and a dollar short (I'm usually a dollar short) with this post, but I couldn't resist talking about the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games. I normally skip over the fanfare of the opening ceremonies because it is a little dry for my taste. I watched this opening ceremony while I was waiting for my husband to get home on Saturday (ah, the beauty of TiVo). I sat astounded as I watched the spectacle.

I have to say that I was mesmerized by the coordination of so many people working in unison. As the cubes bounced up and down with such amazing precision, I sat trying to figure out if the effect was produced by hydraulics or some other modern ingenuity only to be dumbfounded when it was revealed that it was all done by Chinese performers. I have to say that the best part was watching the little boy march around the stadium with Yao Ming. To think that this little boy saved the lives of two of his fellow classmates is overwhelming.

I love the Olympics. I love the rivalries. I love seeing the native dress from all over the world. I love the personal stories that cause me to root for someone from halfway around the globe to win an Olympic medal. I love the emotion when those athletes mount the medal stands to receive their hard won rewards and then tear up as they hear their country's anthem played. Most of all, I love the beautiful faces representing all of humanity on an international stage.

I suppose of all the televised events this one makes me long the most for heaven. Weird, huh?!? Not really, in the few days that the Olympics last we allow ourselves to put aside some of the animosity and preconceived ideas about other cultures. Instead, we look on the faces of people just like ourselves but with slightly different accents and maybe a preference for some foods I wouldn't consider delicacies. It just makes me think about how varied and beautiful heaven will be.

I suppose for now I will go on living vicariously through the Olympic Games. Thanks to the advent of splitting the summer and winter Olympics, I am able to relive this experience every two years. So, if you wonder where I've disappeared to over the next week and a half, I'm admiring my future neighbors and cheering on Michael Phelps!

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