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Day 32: Pray and then Jump!



April 16, 2020
When I was a kid, the only swimming we got to do in a big (built in) pool was when we went on vacation and stayed in a motel. After swimming in our little pop-up pool in the backyard, those pools looked huge to me. And deep. I was happy splashing around in the shallow end. I could swim, but not that great. The best part of those experiences was that my dad and mom could swim with us. We would yell “Look at me!” about a million times while we showed them our somersaults and underwater “tea parties “. Those are wonderful memories. When I was about 8, the company my dad worked for bought a “country club” and we were allowed to go there and swim. There was a diving board (in the deep end, of course) and I really wanted to jump off of it. Dad would sit on the side of the pool and say “Ok, just jump in and swim to the side. I’ll be right here.” I would walk out to the end of the board and stare down at the bright blue water (all of 3 feet below the diving board). But I couldn’t get the nerve to do it. So my dad would get in the deep end and start treading water and hold his arms out and say, “Jump!” I would scoot right to the edge of the board. I remember curling my toes over the edge. And I would stand there until sweat poured down my back. But I couldn’t make myself do it. Dad, whose arms and legs were probably getting pretty tired by now, would say “Lisa, just jump! You know I’m gonna catch you!” And I’d say, “But what if you don’t?” I was terrified. So my dad would swim right up under the diving board and say, “Bend down here and grab my hand.” As soon as I had a hold of his hand, I was brave. I would tumble into the water (maybe he pulled me in?) and dad would hold me tight and swim to the side. I would scream, “Mom, did you see me? I jumped off the diving board!” She would nod and smile and say she was proud of me. She and dad would share “a look” and I’m sure he was rolling his eyes behind my back. I have wonderful parents. They never let me down. They taught me to trust and have faith. Not just in them, but in God. Every time I have a big decision to make in my life or something I have to figure out I get stressed and worried. Of course, I still talk to my parents. But things happen every day that test my faith and the guidance I need must come from my Heavenly Father. The calmness and reassurance that I seek is found in His loving presence through prayer. So I pray and THEN I jump into whatever this day will bring. I know God will catch me. Jeremiah 17:7 says: “But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and has made the Lord his hope and confidence.” And Proverbs 3:5 says this: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” And in Psalm 28:7 the Bible says: “He is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trusted in him, and he helped me. Joy rises in my heart until I burst out in songs of praise to him.” Trust God! Smile and be joyful!

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