Not One-Two Lord, Not One-Two

“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life.  As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” Joshua 1:5.

 It seemed like yesterday.  We were having our annual girls’ trip to the beach with Mother, my sisters and all of our little children.  Have you heard a story so many times you can’t remember whether you actually witnessed it or not?  Well that is the story of my niece Kylie learning to swim that year.  Whether I was at the pool or not, I can picture her standing on the side with her floaties, and Benay in the water encouraging her to jump.  Benay would count to three and tell her to jump, and over and over they would practice, but Kylie wouldn’t jump.  One time after Benay counted out ‘One…Two…’ Kylie interrupted ‘No Mommy, not one-two, not one-two!’  Well Kylie ended up jumping and has been swimming ever since in every sense of the word. 

The world is full of God’s children standing on the side of the pool saying ‘No God, not one-two, not one-two!’  We see what our future holds, and we doubt we can survive it.  Our fear paralyzes our mind and our heart.  We can already picture going under the water, gasping for air.  But our Father is standing before us with His arms out gently encouraging us… ‘Jump child, I will catch you at the end of this doctor’s diagnosis…My little one, I won’t let you go under while you are waiting for your child to return home…Dear one, you will not drown during your grief.’ 

People in the Bible also felt this sentiment, ‘But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go...?’ Ex. 3:11. And then there was Gideon, ‘Gideon...go out boldly, and save your people…’ Gideon answered ‘O, Lord, how can I?’ Judges 6:14-15… ‘Not one-two Lord, not one-two.’  But the Lord intends us to jump and get wet.  He knows to jump is to experience Him in the most intimate of ways. He understands that to stay paralyzed on the side in fear and doubt is to miss the mysteries He wishes to reveal to each of us.  He will carry us above the water and move us from glory to glory…blessing to blessing. 

We must not fear the future for the Lord is in front of us and won’t let us sink if we will trust His heart and jump into His arms.