“Come on in! The water’s great.”
I had to admit, the crystal blue ocean did look appealing, especially since I was standing on the shore in sweltering heat, the sand so hot I had to shift my weight back and forth to keep the soles of my feet from getting burned.
The only thing was, the waves getting to where my husband leisurely treaded water looked overwhelming. Unsure I wanted to brave the crashing waves, I wavered between diving in and heading back to the comfort of shade.
“Come on! This is our last day. You won’t regret it!” JP prompted. Clearly, he wanted me to experience the joy he was experiencing.
And I wanted to. The waves just looked so BIG.
I hesitated a few more moments while my feet continued to burn.
Could I?
Should I?
What if I did?
What if I didn’t?
The amount of time I spent pondering the simple decision bordered on ridiculous.
Finally, I just did it. I ran toward the water and dove in, head first, timing my entrance so I could dive beneath the wave before it crashed on the surface. My head popped up on the other side of the wave, only a few feet from JP.
He gave me a wide smile. “How does it feel?”
“Amazing”.
Of course, I knew it would. It’s just that I’d been unsure I could overcome my fear.
He grinned, then spoke words that were to become one of our life mottos: “Always jump in the water.”
To this day, when I hesitate to tackle something I’d really like to do—be it at work, at home or at play—just because something about it seems overwhelming or scary, JP’s words ring in my ears.
Always jump in the water.
On the other side of an obstacle there’s joy to be had that can’t be experienced standing on the shore.
Of course, this doesn’t mean things will be easy and we won’t feel afraid. It might be hard. We’ll probably feel fear. This past week I had to remind myself of this truth.
One week ago today I walked into the Focus on the Family office in Colorado Springs to record my first radio interview for the iconic Christian organization. It was a dream fulfilled. But if you want to know the real, behind the scenes truth, it required a huge leap of faith, tons of prayer and years of preparation.
The night before my interview terror gripped my heart. I hardly slept. I tossed and turned; worried and replayed what I would say over and over and ….well, you get the point. In fact, while taking off my makeup before bed, I looked in the mirror and actually spoke to my reflection: “what in the world are you doing? Why did you say yes?”
I was that nervous. In the end, though, I dove in anyway.
And it was glorious.
So what’s stopping you from diving in to that thing you’ve always wanted to do but were afraid to try? Is someone else already swimming in the ocean you wish you could swim in, too? If they’ve done it, why not you?
Maybe you need a few people who are already swimming to pray for you, encourage you, and tell you, you can.
I’d like to be that person…or one of them anyway.
Come on. Dive in. Always jump in the water.
