You can swim in the deep end.........

Good morning everyone! Yesterday I picked the kids up and got a cooler packed, their swimsuits on, and got them all sun screened up and we headed for the boat to spend a late afternoon on the lake. We had some friends join us and headed down river to find and good swimming spot for the kids. Well, two things happened when we got to where we were going. First, it was very shallow so I trimmed the motor way up and was trying to get in close to anchor. All of the sudden a loud beeping noise started coming from the boat. I shut it off and went to trying to figure it out. I looked for a while and couldn't figure it out. Now, this being my new boat and me being me. I should have been freaking out. I must tell you, I wasn't. I was really pretty calm about it and wasn't worried or scared at all. Just turned it off and threw the anchor out for the kids to swim. Next, Luke finally gets in the water and he is attached to my hip. He is scared to let go of me and is kind of whinny. I stopped and looked him in the eye with my best dad/loving look and told him he had nothing to be afraid of. The his daddy was right there and would never let anything happen to him. Then I also explained how his life jacket would keep him from sinking. It wasn't long and Luke let go of my hand and went from right next to me to swimming twenty yards away. Luke told me later "Dad, I can swim in the deep end now!" That got me thinking about our fear. What are you afraid of? Has your fear changed over the years? What do you do when you are scared? I am not just talking about fear of the water or of something messing up. Let's dig into some of the good stuff and see what it shows us.........

Bible Verse: Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

I know I have used this scripture a couple times lately. But, I feel it is pretty relevant again. Ok, I was thinking about what I was scared of when I was 18. When I was 18, I would laugh at what I used to be terrified of when I was 8. And by the time you turn 38, the fears of your 18-year-old self might seem kind of dumb. Here's the thing, what doesn't change is that there is always something to be afraid of or worried about.

It's not that the things that scare us don't matter. Many of them are real. The world is a dangerous place with lots of things that go wrong all of them time. Here is the best part, there’s another thing that doesn't change no matter how old we get or how smart we get. God is bigger than everything that scares us. Let's keep that in focus for a bit. Some people think God is here just for the big stuff and never rely on Him for any of the smaller things. He so desires to be your resting places. God is our safe place. The refuge in which we're untouchable. He's our strength! Stronger than any danger and he's ready to help in every single moment.

If we can just realize that we belong to a God like that should make our fear less powerful. It would make us worry less. I guess my question to you is. Does it? In the battle between faith in a huge God and fear of terrible things, which one usually wins in your heart? What kinds of things do you do to help or hurt either side? Do me a favor, make a list of your top 3 current fears or worries and then write next to each of them, "God is bigger." Wait, write "My, God is bigger!" Don't just write the words, believe them! I pray you have a great day and God bless!