A lot can be learned from a one year old.

About six or seven years ago, I was a nanny for a precious family with five littles. The littlest of these was a one year old girl. She was, and probably still is, a spitfire. She was always on, checking everything out. She wanted to know everything and be in the middle of all things, including my arms.

One thing she loved to do most was to spend time in her family’s pool. She would put around in her little puddle jumper life jacket, exploring all there was to see in the pool.

One memory of her stands out most to me. I remember she stood by the water’s edge, wanting to jump to me. There was something different about her demeanor this time. She was apprehensive. My normally adventurous, take-the-world-by-storm one year old was six inches from my grasp and wouldn’t jump to me. I tried to convince her I was going to be there when she jumped. I pleaded with her to trust me to catch her when she launched from the side of the pool, but she would not budge. She instead opted to return to the safety of the stairs, climbed in, and waded over to me.

Oh, the many times I have been that one year old. I have seen the hand of God, six inches from my grasp, beckoning to me to come to His path, only to tuck tail to return to the safety of the known, my comfort zones. Many times God has called me to a path that made no sense to me, or the world I live in. It challenges me to be different than the norm, to be unconventional, worse than that, it calls me to be uncomfortable in this world.

That jump into His waiting arms, is called faith. Faith can appear reckless, naive, passive, and to some senseless. It doesn’t make sense in this evidence-driven world. However, when I look back at my life, and the countless times I have leaped into the loving hands of God, I can see His presence with perfect clarity. Those same moments when I had questioned His very existence and plan for my life. He was there. He caught me. He has never dropped me.

He is calling you, too. Can you see God six inches from your grasp? He asking you to jump in to His arms. Don’t be afraid. He wants you to know He WILL catch you. JUMP!

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
    and the flame shall not consume you.

Isaiah 43:2 ESV