“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” ~ Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

I was driving by a lovely home on the beach when something in the back yard caught my attention…a bright yellow, plastic baby pool.  Surely, the pool was there to entertain the little ones while their parents enjoyed the view from the deck.  But, my imagination ran away with me, and I envisioned a full-grown adult sitting in that teeny baby pool with the big, beautiful ocean just steps away.  How silly!

When it comes to our faith, how many of us are still sitting in a baby pool instead of jumping with abandon into the ocean? Sure, it’s safe in those 6 inches of water.  We most likely won’t drown or get bitten by a shark in our plastic pools.  But, God didn’t create us for this kind of safe, shallow living.  We’ll never learn to trust him in such sheltered surroundings. We must be willing to get past our fears, escape our longings for comfort and dive head first into the depth of his His love.  When the waves get taller and the wind starts to blow, we’ll learn to rely on him to keep us steady in the storm.  That’s the place where our faith begins to grow and blossom.

I’m reminded of one of my favorite scenes from C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Mr.Beaver is trying to describe what Aslan is like and Susan asks, “Is he—quite safe?” “Who said anything about safe”?  Mr. Beaver replies.  “Course he isn’t safe.  But he’s good.”

If you’re still sitting in the shallow end, I pray you’re ready to take your faith to a deeper level where you’ll learn to trust God.  As you begin to take your first, timid steps out of the safety of the baby pool and towards the ocean of God’s grace, just remember to trust in His goodness.