Did you ever play that game with your dad? The one in the swimming pool where you stand on the edge. He’s standing in the pool with his arms stretched towards you. He says “Jump. I’ll catch you. I promise.” And you just stand there asking him over and over again, “Will you catch me, daddy?” Even though you might be standing there soaking wet from the countless times you’ve already jumped and he’s caught you, you stand there asking and asking if he will catch you.
That‘s how the world race has been for me.
The Lord has asked me to do some crazy things on the race. He’s asked me to trust Him time and time again with vulnerable things. Hard things. Impossible things. He’s asked me to preach. He’s asked me to call people out of their sin and into higher places. He’s asked me to love sacrificially. He’s asked me to step up and lead. He’s asked me to jump in so many times.
There’s this moment during the game with your dad when you finally get the courage to jump in. You hit the water and your head goes under and just for a second it feels like you might drown. But then your dad grabs you under the arms and pulls you out of the water. The moment you break the surface is the moment where everything feels right. You feel so safe. So loved. There in your father’s arms you can’t help but smile and squeal and giggle. And you wonder why you ever doubted that he would catch you in the first place.
The edge is the scariest place to be. Standing on the edge of that pool, it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve jumped in before. Doesn’t matter how many times your father has caught you. Kept his promise. Been trustworthy. Fear comes in and says, “What if he doesn’t?” And you think the worst. And you doubt his goodness and love for you.
I’ve been there so many times. Countless times. The Lord asks something of me. Calls me to do something. And I just stand there on the edge shaking and asking him over and over again if I can trust Him. If He will catch me. If He will keep His promise to me.
I find my hope in the catching.
I believe that no matter how long I stand there at the edge asking my Heavenly Father if he will catch me, the answer will always be yes. I know that I can trust Him. And I know that He will never condemn me for standing there on the edge too long. He will never get tired of me asking Him if He will catch me. If it takes a little while for my heart to catch up to my head, he will wait. He’ll still be standing there, arms stretched out, welcoming me into them.
Finding hope in the catching has allowed me to do things I never thought I would ever or could ever do. It’s allowed me to share the gospel confidently with people who have never heard it. It’s allowed me to share things with my community that are vulnerable for me to share. Allowed me to pray for miracles. To lead my squad in experiencing the Lord. To love people sacraficially.
I shared a bit of this with my squad at a debrief in Nicaragua not too long ago. One of my coaches, Keith, was there and listening. And he said something that I’ve been reflecting on ever since. He said, “Dads live for the catching. They probably find more joy in catching you than you find joy in being caught.”
My Heavenly Father lives for the catching.
There’s so much truth in this. The Lord experinces fullness of joy each time I jump into His arms. Every time I believe that He will keep His promise. Every time.
I am by no means an expert in saying yes to The Lord. In believing with my head and my heart that His promises are yes and amen. In trusting that He will catch me. In fact, I’m probably one of His most frequent askers. But that’s okay because I know He’ll still be there waiting when I do find my courage in Him and find my hope in the catching.
If you’re standing on the edge today, I believe this is the Lord telling you that it’s time to jump. Time to experience that joy with Him that comes from the catching.
