Trusting the Life Jacket

Recently, God has been reminding me about trusting in Him completely.In the good and the bad. The easy and the hard.

Catherine is my extremely anxious child. She fears a lot though doesn't always admit it. Routine is her best friend and new people, places, and things, are not. She likes to be in complete control of her situation. This means water and swimming have never been her favorite place to be.

As we were swimming last night Catherine (for the first time ever!) fully trusted in her life jacket. She never fully believed it would help her to float, and last night after floating with it over the steps a few times and asking several times if it always worked that way or if it would get tired of helping her float, she had the best time she has ever had at this pool (or any pool where her feet couldn't touch with her head above the water). As I watched this, trying to figure out why it took her so long to believe us when we said the life jacket would support her, I realized I do the same thing to God. I ask a dozen times and I toy with the idea of trusting in Him in the shallow water over the stairs but only when I let go and get out in the middle of the pool can I truly bask in the peace and joy that living fully in His presence will bring.

Philippians 4:6 says "Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with THANKSGIVING, let your requests be made known to God." When we have a request for God, we are to trust in Him so completely that we can thank him for the challenges knowing that they are all a part of His plan.

Then we can find the peace which surpasses all understanding.

Living in His presence daily will let us bask in the joy of The Lord and bring us comfort that there is a plan even when we don't know what it is or understand how it will work out for the good (Romans 8:28).