Don’t Give-Up, Give-In Instead!
Don had always been terrified of water! As a small child, his screams could be heard all around the neighborhood when his mom would rinse the shampoo out of his hair during bath time. As a teenager, he would use his hand to shield his eyes from the spray of the shower water. Many, many attempts at learning to swim and overcoming this paralyzing fear were tried! Nothing worked. His fear of water grew as he grew!
Recently, Don and his wife visited their friends’ lake home. You can imagine the shock and surprise to see Don floating on his back in the lake where the water was well over his head! Bigger shock…he was completely at ease, even enjoying himself! How did this happen after so many years of struggling to overcome such a gigantic fear?
In one word? TRUST. There was one person he felt he could trust. After so many others had tried to help him win the battle against this fear, Don’s wife had encouraged him to get into the shallow end of a pool. She coaxed him into kneeling down so that water was around his neck. She stayed right by his side as he slowly relaxed and learned there was nothing to fear. Still more coaxing and his head slowly leaned back into the water. Water was in his ears and all around his head, something he had never been able to endure before. Leaning back even more and focusing, not on the water all around him, but on the hand that tenderly and reassuringly held his head.
Next came leaning back even further while his wife’s other hand held the small of his back. Had Don been fighting against his wife or the water around him, he would have worn himself out, and never have experienced the calmness of the cool water. Yet he “gave-in” to the hands that were holding him. He learned he could trust those hands.
Isn’t that the way it is with all of our fears? They grip us, paralyze us, speak lies to us, keep us from being and doing things we were created to be and do. Yet, for those who are Christ-followers, children of the living God, the Lord repeatedly says to us in His word, “Do not fear.” He tells us He is with us always, supporting us, that nothing separates us from His love, and that nothing can snatch His children from His Hand. We can “give-in” to His Hands which are always holding us! We can completely trust that those Hands will hold us up. We don’t need to fight Him or the waters that surround us, whatever dark circumstances we find ourselves in, Jehovah God’s Hands are cradling us and lifting us above it all.
T-R-U-S-T. Trust those nail-scarred Hands to carry burdens too heavy; relax into Him, trusting Christ indeed has our backs. Focus on His Truth, His Word, His Hands holding us up, not on the waters or dark circumstances surrounding us. Immersing body, soul, and spirit in His Presence, meditating on His Truth, His Promises, taking all fears and anxieties to Him, talking about them to Him and relaxing so the calmness of the Prince of Peace can be enjoyed. “Give-in”… to the One Who created us for such a time as this!