Dive

I've been thinking about the word dive for the last few days.


It takes me back to the summer when I was 13.  That was the summer I started teaching swimming lessons.  I remember one of my favorite lessons was to teach how to dive.


To teeter on the edge of the pool. Eyes on your stomach so your head would go in first.  Hands clasped together over your head.  Butterflies dancing in your stomach.


It takes a lot of trust to dive.  Those first few attempts where you stand in position and jump in the pool.  Or the inevitable face first flop because you wanted to see where you were going instead of tucking your chin.  Then of course you have the belly flop where your fear causes you to pull back from position just in time to smack you from head to toe.


I remember looking into a child's eyes, asking for his trust, and leading him through the process.  The feelings of uncertainty crossing his face, a momentary flitter of panic, a glimpse of peace.


Then the total eruption of happiness when the task was conquered.


I taught swimming lessons, swam competitively, and coached teams for over 13 years.  I helped over 1,300 kids learn to dive.  Each situation was a little different, but the basic process was the same.


Life is kind of like diving.


Most people want to know where they are going; they want control over their life.  However, this often ends up with a smack in the face, or heading in a direction you were not intending.  It's much easier to rely on our understanding of the world instead of trusting a God who can provide so much more than our human minds can comprehend.


I'll admit to belly flops.  Time where my trust wavered, and I pulled back.  They were painful; however, they helped me grow into the person that I'm intended to be.  They helped to center me on what is most important; to trust, to believe, and to be the person He desires me to be.  They taught me humility, humbled me, and forced me to my knees. 


It's when I truly embrace the dive that I fly.  It's not looking to the future; it's doing what I'm intended to do now.  It's serving how God intends me to serve.  After all, life really isn't about me.  When I can understand that, I'm filled with peace and grace.


I often go back to my favorite scripture.  It's the one that brings me peace when I have the most doubt.  It's the one that keeps me from going in feet first or face planting in the water


"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11


With words like that, how can I not dive?