I began trying to teach myself on the Race since we have gone to so many beaches around the world. I’ve treaded water for about a good 15 seconds before I started to doubt myself and my legs went straight in search for solid ground
.
Therefore, a diving board is terrifying for me. I remember the first time I was going to jump off a diving board: I think I was a freshman in high school (yes, high school) and my friends found out I had never jumped off a diving board before so, of course, like all good friends, they made me. I stood on that diving board for about 30 minutes just shaking.
For me, following the Lord and listening to what He asks is a lot like standing on the edge of diving board over the water…
I have the choice, I always have the choice, to either jump or not. Most of the time, just like in my first jump, I don’t know the outcome but I have a pretty good idea of how it’s going to turn out. I usually put the facts together: I can’t swim yet I’m about to jump into deep water…hmmm…. I also don’t know how to dive, so I’ll probably dive wrong and it’ll hurt a bit when I hit the water. The main outcome from these facts does not look good.
So, I’ll stand on this diving board for a while, looking at the pro’s vs. the cons. In my head, the outcome is going to be less than positive yet I’m still being asked to jump.
The Lord recently asked me to jump again. Instead of 30 minutes of standing there, it took me a couple days. I stood there shaking and looking at the possible results of the jump… they don’t look good.
But I heard Him again just saying “Jump. Trust me, just jump. I’m right here”.
My friends in the pool told me to jump and that if I jumped, they would get me, “You’re not going to drown, we are right here!”
With everything in my head telling me not to jump, I jumped…again… and there was a moment that I was just in the air.
My eyes were closed, I was holding my breath and praying that the impact to the water didn't hurt.
When I hit the water, it was quick and sharp. My prayer has been for that to be the end.
But beyond that prayer is the big question: Will I sink or swim?
Isaiah 43-
v.2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;…”
v.4 “Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you,…”
I never drowned the first time I jumped off a diving board (shocking, I know). In fact, my dive was nearly perfect and I dove through the deep end to the shallower end where my friends and I started laughing then dried off and went to get ready for the rest of the night.
I may not know why I was asked to jump again or why this dive wasn’t nearly as perfect as my first one, but I’m told that I will not drown. I might think that I’m drowning for a little while (you know when you are under the water for a few seconds but in your head it’s already been at least 5 minutes), but there is always Someone there just in case I need to be pulled out.
He’ll calm me down, dry me off and say “I’m so proud of you”.
