Ok, so remember last week, I told you about my girls overcoming their fear of the water? Well, what I didn’t tell you was the part when I screamed, “She’s under water!!!” To the swim instructor and the handful of life guards on duty at their first swim class.
Yes, that was me–the screaming mom, who ran from the bleachers over to where her daughter was, in the water. That was also my husband who glared at me and underneath his breath, reminded me that her swim instructor and the handful of life guards were more than able to ensure she wouldn’t drown.
Ladies and gentlemen, here I have been encouraging my daughters and all of you to not give in to fear and here I was screaming like a lunatic!
What I experienced is a natural fear, a mother’s instinct, a momma bear making sure her babe isn’t drowning. This is me, still trying to justify my actions, haha.
I could tell that I wasn’t the first mother who did this–neither the swim instructor or the life guards even made a flinch. In fact, no one even paid attention to me. I was embarrassed sure, but here was my BLOG moment.
This was the first time I was seeing my daughters underwater, without floaties. For the past few years, they have been swimming with their floaties. There is a sense of peace that you have when your kids are swimming with floaties. You can relax poolside, at a distance because there is a level of confidence you have–these things are made to keep them above water and they do what they are created to do.
Without these safety nets, my babies are vulnerable and so is their mommy. As excited as I was to rip those floaties off and begin this new season, it was scary.
Have you ever experienced that? Maybe not taking off your actual floaties, but, have you ever walked into a new season with such anticipation, excitement and boldness until suddenly, you’re vulnerable and your safety net has been cut away?
Maybe you have been burned by relationships in the past and have put up protective floaties to make sure that doesn’t happen again. You gather enough courage to rip those protective shields off and trust again. Until suddenly, you realize you are trusting without these boundaries and all of a sudden you experience fear or hesitation.
Even though my baby girls were not wearing their floaties, they were not in danger. They were in the pool with someone who not only knows how to swim better than their mom, but someone who knows how to teach them to swim without their floaties. Not only does He teach them how to swim, but also what to do when danger is present.
The same is for you and for me–when you and I rip off our safety net and jump in with both feet, we allow Jesus to teach us, guide us and walk us through a process of trusting Him completely. We might be without our “protection” but we are in good company. Jesus calls us into the deep waters, not to scare us, but to show us that He is able and so are we!
TRUTH: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13
DARE: Rip those floaties off and jump in with both feet!
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