Take the Plunge!

^"Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment." ^-1 Timothy 6:17

It was one of those days where the sun has decidedly gone back to bed and the light drizzle makes the breeze feel unbearably chilly, but you came to the lake to have fun so one must try, though swimming is just not an option.  Anna Watkin, my 16-year-old courageous neice who agreed to travel with us to New York, climbed into her kyak next to mine.  She had exclaimed a few days prior “I love kayaking!”  I don’t think a day like today is what she had in mind because she also sat in any patch of sunshine she could find as we journeyed.  The sun was kind and warmed us slightly as we set off, lifting our adventurous spirits.   Half way across the lake, it started to rain again, however, and we turned our kyaks around, challenging each other to a race.  As we both sped through the water, our kayaks glided toward each other, and unfortunately (or fortunately for me), Anna’s kayak could not withstand the weight of my kayak’s passenger.  Over it went, and in she fell.  I deftly turned around to see her pop up to the surface.  Looking shocked, and in shockingly good spirits, she laughed.  She declared, “I would have been mad if it hadn’t been so warm.”

This reminded me of something that I continue to learn.  Neither of us wanted to dive into the water, considering it too cold.  We could only judge the temperature of the water by the temperature we were experiencing above the water.   So, we tried to have fun without taking a plunge.  Just as in our faith, we think that diving in completely will be a bit too much, so we skim the surface.  We pray prayers that we can answer without God's help and we volunteer to do tasks that are manageable and safe.   God has a way of helping us take the plunge, though.  He wants us to experience his warmth,  through various struggles and when we finally find ourselves in him, fully emersed, we find that the water was not as cold as it seemed.  We find we could instead laugh at the surprising turn of events that we were trying so hard to avoid.  I believe God gives us everything for our enjoyment. May we be ready to dive in willingly, enjoying the warmth of God’s purpose and will for us!