Let Go

Over 20 years ago, I was trying to teach Madison to swim.

For a while, we were swimming nearly everyday.

Jenna was seven months pregnant with Emma at the time.

Jenna and I would swim around in the pool.

Madison, however, was not quite as excited about swimming.

She loved wearing her pink swimsuit.

She loved carrying her beach towel.

She even loved putting her feet in the water.

But, that was the extent of Madison “swimming” in the pool.

After several days of this, we pleaded with Madison to jump in the pool.

That wasn't going to happen.

Reluctantly, Madison made her way down the steps of the pool.

But, that was it.

She wasn't going to step off of that last step.

After a period of time, Madison became willing to walk around the edge of the pool, holding on to the wall the entire time.

We asked her to let go of the wall and let us carry her into the pool.

No way.

She wasn't going to do it.

I would say to her, “Madison, you can trust me.”

“Madison, don’t you trust me?”

She responded with a solid “yes!”

But, it didn't result in anything.

Jenna and I told Madison that we would never let go of her.

We told her that she could hold onto us as tightly as she needed.

We told her that it was a lot more fun to swim than to walk in the pool along the side of the wall.

Day after day, we encouraged Madison to swim.

Finally, after a lot of persuasion, Madison stood on the steps inside of the swimming pool and jumped right into my arms.

She had both of her little arms wrapped around my neck.

Eventually, Madison began to enjoy what swimming was all about.

She splashed!

She held her head under the water.

She didn't want to get out of the pool!

In my relationship with Jesus, I've often found myself to be a lot like Madison in the swimming pool.

There are times when I've been hesitant to fully experience the life that God has for me.

There are times when I've been content to just “getting my feet wet.”

I've clutched onto different things, similar to the way Madison was clutching the swimming pool wall.

I know what it is to say that I trusted God, but in reality, I trusted Him only on my terms.

Experiencing God on our own terms, under our own conditions, isn't really experiencing Him much at all.

No more than Madison was experiencing swimming.

God has called us to leave the side of the wall.

God wants us to rely on Him alone.

God wants us to trust Him completely.

We can discover what it means to really live.

We can let go and discover the life that God has intended for us

Today, let’s dive in and discover the depths of who God is and what He has for us.

Let Go.

Psalm 28:7

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart celebrates, and I give thanks to him with my song.