When I was a little girl I remember one of my favorite seasons being the summer. We would go to the amusement parks, beach and swimming pools. I remember taking swimming lessons when I was young because my mom didn’t know how to swim, and always said that she wanted us to learn. The summertime was also a time that we would take these long drives to go “down south”. My mom was from South Carolina, and my dad was from Alabama. We would take these trips to go visit our family that we didn’t see very often.
I have a lot of memories of going down south, but I remember this one summer in particular. I was at my cousin’s house and they had a swimming pool in the back yard. I was so super excited to get in, that I didn’t wait for the adults to come outside. All I can remember is jumping in the pool because I was overly confident in my swimming abilities, and found myself sinking to the bottom. In that chaotic moment, one of my cousins came to my rescue.
If I fast forward, what I’ve realized is that although I love the water, I’ve placed limitations on my experiences. I enjoy going on vacations capturing these amazing beach vibes, the sunset on the water and rubbing my toes in the sand. But it was revealed to me that fear has placed limitations on how far out in the water I will go. So much so that I took swimming lessons as a child but I stopped just shy of the “deep water” test. The last test that they give you is to jump into the 10 foot section of the pool. I soared in my lessons as long as when I was standing the tips of my toes could touch the bottom. If the water gets to high I feel a sense of anxiety.
I remember a few years back I went snorkeling. The boat took us to the middle of the coral reef and we had to get off the boat in what felt like the middle of the ocean. In trying to face my fears I jumped in for about 30 seconds and immediately asked the guide to help me out. I remember the tour guide kept saying “you’re safe” you have on a life jacket. I really didn’t care about the life jacket in that moment because I couldn’t touch the bottom.
When I looked around I couldn’t see the shore, and there were so many uncertainties and fears that had taken over my mind. All I could think about was the need to be in a place that I could control and the coral reef in the middle of the ocean was not it.
I share this story because it’s something that is relatable in the context of our lives. There are seasons that we go through operating in full throttle. We’re very adventurous and confident in our lives and our abilities. We’re confident because we can touch the bottom. We’re orchestrating the outcome. We know that if I operate a certain way the outcome will have to fall in line with what I’ve planned. However, life has a funny way of taking you through situations that seem bottomless just like that day in the pool and snorkeling in the ocean. No matter how much you thought you prepared for it, not matter how confident you were in your assumptions, you sometimes find yourself in a place that is out of your control.
So I was thinking about how this relates to our faith. Sometimes we have faith and we believe, but the outcome turns out different than what we anticipated. And sometimes the outcome is not what “we” believe God has designed for our lives. So instead of working on strengthening our faith, we place limits on God. Instead of learning how to swim in the deep, we become content just living in the shallow.
I realized that when I go to the beach although I really enjoy myself, I’m missing out on so many adventures because of my fear of going into the deep water. I’ve become content wading in the shallow water. So much so that even when I take my dog to the beach, I don’t take his leash off because of my fear that he may go too far out in the water.
While we should be learning how to trust God when we cannot trace God, how to believe when you cannot see, how to stop placing limitations on life because of fear, and how to thrive outside of the shallow things that we can control; we do the opposite. We lose faith. We don’t just lose faith for our own lives but we sometimes place the same limits on others. We find ourselves walking around with a life jacket but afraid to jump in the water.
So the message today is to have Faith Again! God is saying that there are some things that you encountered that were never meant to destroy you, but were intended to strengthen you. You have to have faith again. I’m not encouraging you to put your faith in people. I’m not even encouraging you to put your faith in your own abilities. The message is to have the same faith in God that you had before whatever circumstance or situation caused you to operate in that “safe” place.
Whether it is the fear of jumping in the water when you can’t touch the bottom or the fear of moving in seasons of uncertainty, safe will allow you to survive; faith will allow you to thrive. God is saying that you have to have Faith Again. I read that the phrase “fear not” or “do not be afraid” is mentioned in the bible 365 times. I also read that the word faith is mentioned at least 336 times. This is a daily reminder to trust God. What this tells me, is that life situations will cause you a certain level of fear and uncertainty. Faith will allow you to believe something greater; courage will allow you to move into greater. Have faith again.
The bible tells us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrew 11:1). It also tells us that faith says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Fear says “what if”, faith says “even if”. Have faith again!
I hope this message blessed you. Today I’m praying for those that are struggling in their faith. Whatever the situation may be, fill in the blank. I’m praying that God reveal to you that regardless of your season he has already equipped you with your life jacket. I pray that he shows you that although you could’ve drowned you didn’t. That job you loss, the people that walked out on you, the doors that have closed, the foreclosure, miscarriage, divorce, infidelity, infertility, sickness, custody battles, past hurts, fill in the blank. I pray a supernatural release in your life that allows you to trust again, believe again, love again, live again, and have faith again in Jesus name Amen!
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