“Mom, are you going to come in? Come on, Mom!” My daughter calls to me from the pool. My perennial reply is “when I’m hot, I’ll come in.” The cool water refreshes me after warming on a lounge chair in the summer sun. I usually wade in, slowly getting used to the water. But if feeling adventurous, I’ll do a big ol’ jump in the deep end. Whether wading or jumping, there’s always the moment when I go deeper, fully submerged in the water. The cool shock of the water awakens my skin. It’s refreshing, exhilarating and simultaneously uncomfortable.
The same can be said for our soul wellness. We wait until we’re hot-needing cooling comfort in times of worry or strife. We wade into soul wellness gently, not wanting to go too deep. It may be soothing and exhilarating, but we are also leery of the shock to our system, usual routines or natural tendencies. Rarely do we jump into the deep end like Peter when he agreed to set down his nets deeper because it isn’t a comfortable, logical thing to do. But faith isn’t logical. Or always comfortable.
Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.~Hebrews 11:1
Why don’t we jump into deepening our soul wellness? Maybe it’s your natural tendency like mine to be cautious with important things. I often move fast. But if it’s meaningful, I like to go slow. I take my time and get used to the water. Recently a friend pushed me regarding this, however.
She’s helping me with a big new project and I explained we’ll introduce it slowly. She challenged me. “Why not make a big announcement?” It made me think. Why not? Because I want to do it right from the beginning. Because I want to make sure it’s working before I tell everyone. Or maybe it’s a bit scary. It will push me, is more work and might fail. There I said it, or at least thought it.
Acknowledging fear of the unknown, failure or change is part of the process. It’s the same with faith. Digging in deeper toward soul wellness can be scary. What will others think? We may need to adjust schedules to fit in Bible reading or church attendance. We may need to step out of our comfortable into His unknown. But failure is never an option. We may fail in many things, but we can never fail with Christ.[tweetthis]Faith is stepping out of our comfortable into His unknown, but failure isn’t an option #SoulWellness[/tweetthis]
We don’t have to worry about failure with Jesus because we don’t have to DO anything. He did all the work and we reap all the rewards. Our souls are redeemed the moment we believe. So while there may be fears in this world or uncomfortable changes that will occur, the end is secure.
God has us in the palm of his hand. Our job is to embrace His love and try to live like Jesus. God knows we can never live up to His standard, which is where Jesus comes in. He did what we could not.
Whether we quickly jump in the deep end or wade in slowly, eventually we’re surrounded by the cool water of God’s love. His love and salvation are ever-present. It’s a refreshing gift, offering relief to the hot situations of our lives.
For your last Thoughtful Thursday Wellness Challenge, let me ask you: what are you waiting for? Come on, jump in! Submerge yourself in the exhilarating relief of soul wellness.
I’m linking up with Jennifer Moye at #JesusandCoffee, Susan Mead at #DancewithJesus, Holly Barrett at #TestimonyTuesday, Holley Gerth at #CoffeeForYourHeart and Dawn Klinge at #GraceandTruth
Your post reminded me we can go deeper in our soul wellness through prayer. We can wade in slowly or just jump right in. We will always, when we come and communicate with God, find we are surrounded by His love. Thanks, Jill.
Thanks Rachel, I love to dig deeper in prayer and find when I do, He always meets me, wherever I am. Thanks for stopping by, always a pleasure to have you here!
Lovely to read your words here, Jill. Oh how I empathize with your struggles. You’re so right that acknowledging those fears is the first step…and then speaking God’s Truth to them: “We don’t have to worry about failure with Jesus because we don’t have to DO anything.” Oh how my heart needed that reminder today. Thank you.
Thanks Anna! When we remind ourselves of God’s truth, we dig and lean into Christ and His strength through whom anything is possible! I’m so happy you stopped by and said hello! Come back again soon!
Another great post Jill! I have found so much motivation in this challenge. Thank your for sharing and for linking up with #JesusandCoffee this week!
Thanks Jennifer, I’m so happy to motivate and be encouraged by all of you as we are Springing into Wellness together! Always a pleasure to link up!
I jumped in with both feet on a new project yesterday and I know Jesus is swimming with me! Great post! Thanks for your timely encouragement! Blessings, liz
Thanks Liz! Here’s to swimming with Jesus! Glad I could encourage you, hope you stop by again! Blessings on your project!
I’ve had to make several decisions lately and through much prayer God has given me all the answers. So thankful to have him swimming with me. I truly enjoy these posts. Thank you & God bless you!
Thanks Debbie for your comment and encouragement to me! So glad you are swimming with Jesus! Love it when we hear God direct and give us answers. Keep praying and listening! Blessings on your day!
Jill- yes! Jesus not only wants us to get wet, He wants us to go deep. This was a great reminder for me to just have faith. There’s something He’s wanting me to do, and I just want to wait when He’s telling me to just do it! Thanks for the encouragement!
You’re welcome and absolutely Shannon! Let’s go deep, whether that means waiting, jumping in the deep end or walking in faith like Peter! Can’t wait to hear more on what and when God moves you-keep me posted!
I have the opposite tendency, Jill…to jump in without a thought! But God is teaching me that there are times for both. We just need to follow his leading as to whether to jump or wade. Great post, friend!
Agreed and thanks Holly for stopping by and the comment. So often we either want to jump without listening or wade in without jumping sooner! May we all follow His footprints to the right path for each of us in each moment! Blessings to you!
I love this. I often think about self-care, but I want to set aside intentional time for soul-care, too. Thank you for writing about this!
Thanks Kylie! It all works together and when we have a well soul, the rest follows! Thanks for stopping by and your thoughts, blessings as you take care of your soul!
Fear! That’s what stops me. Fear of what others might think or even how they will respond to me. But like you said once I jump I will experience the love of God which then empowers me to do what I can do for others. Thank for these encouraging words visiting from coffee for your heart #89
Thanks for stopping by Kristina! Yes, fear is so paralyzingly at times but once we clear that, God’s love with surround and cover us as we follow. Here’s to no-fear jumping into the deep end!