Swim lessons have started this week, and I get all the cutest kids! I was a little nervous about 10 3-5 year old kids at the same time, but they were all so good! I have one who is a bit brave for her skill level, and another who is nervous about being in water in general. I love working with the ones who are nervous, but not terrified. I get to earn their trust by playing hokey-pokey in the stairs. Or practice floating on their back with their head on my shoulder. It’s so rewarding when that one kid who almost refused to stick their toes in the water last year is now willing to jump in the deep end into my arms! And sometime I can be a “mean” teacher too. I take advantage of that trust to push them a little outside of their comfort zones. In the shallow end, when we practice jumping into my arms, once they are comfortable with that, I start letting them go under before I catch them. Or we play catch, and I throw the ball just in front of their reach, so that it splashes them in the face.
I feel like this is something God has been reteaching me: trust. Growing up, God blessed me with amazing parents. They demonstrated love and trust, so when they told me God loved me, I knew it was true. I trusted God because my parents taught me trust. You would not believe the number of stories my family has about answered prayers. As little kids we were actually asked by my dad’s boss to pray for the animals who were getting sick and dying, and as we prayed, they got better and stopped dying. Countless times the car had problems and we prayed and it got us to where we needed to be.
When I was little, I trusted God completely. I was the brave little kid jumping off the diving board into the arms of the teacher. I knew I could ask anything and He would be there for me. I have never forgotten that, but somewhere along the way, I got less brave. I started to prefer the comfort of the shallow end. But now God is calling me deeper. This next year will be one to stretch my faith. I will have to rely on Him for everything. I don’t know the language, I don’t know what I will be doing, I don’t even know exactly where I will be inside these countries. But God does. And He is preparing the way. I know I can trust Him, and though I might be a bit nervous, I am not afraid!
I’m also trusting God for the money to get me there! If you want to help out there, you can click the button above and follow instructions! Thanks!
