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Jump! I’ll Catch You!

“...It (Love) always protects, always trusts...”¹

Swimming in the public pool was a summer highlight. Every weekend Mom would make up a tasty picnic, Dad would gather the swim gear and little Johnny made sure to put on his favorite flip-flops. The pool was usually crowded on Saturday afternoons, but there was still enough space to enjoy a nice, cool dip before lunch. 4-year-old, Johnny had been taking swim lessons but, on this day, he was feeling brave as he yelled out, “Dad! Catch me!”. Dad turned at the sound of Johnny’s voice and extended his arms just in time to catch Johnny as he cannon-balled into the middle of the pool. Although Johnny hadn’t been past the three and a half mark, today he trusted, whole-heartedly, that his dad would catch him and protect him from drowning in the deeper end. For the last month, Dad and Johnny had played this game of “jump and catch” in the shallow end of the pool. Johnny had shown full faith in his dad when he said, “Jump to me, Johnny, I’ll catch you!” Without hesitation, Johnny had taken the plunge, never doubting that his father’s strong arms would catch him. This unwavering trust in his dad led Johnny to feel that Dad would protect him anywhere in the pool. As the years passed, Johnny and Dad continued their summer game, until that one day when Dad called out, “Come on Johnny, Jump! I’ll catch you!”, that the 10-year-old Johnny replied, “No way, Dad, I don’t trust you!” It wasn’t that Johnny didn’t think his dad couldn’t protect him anymore, it was more that Johnny wasn’t entirely sure his dad could still catch him. Johnny’s faith in his dad had wavered because Johnny was becoming more independent and didn’t really feel that he needed his dad to catch him anymore.

Our relationship with Jesus is similar. When we were new Christians, we trusted in Jesus whole-heartedly; knowing he would catch us if we fell. But as the years went by and we became more independent in our walk with Christ, we stopped trusting Jesus to take care of our every need. Suddenly, we felt that we could take care of things on our own. Many times, we’ve failed. But Jesus is calling out to us today, “Trust in me! I will protect you!”. It doesn’t matter how “spiritually” old we get, Jesus will still be there holding out His loving arms saying, “Jump! I’ll catch you!”. Won’t you take that plunge with Jesus today? Trust that he will protect you.

Suggested Prayer:

Dear Lord, help me to trust in you with all my heart (Prov. 3:5), for you know the best plan for my life. Allow me to rest in the protection of your love for me, so that I can come to you with an unwavering faith. Thank you for always being steadfast and unmovable. I put my trust in you! In Jesus’ loving name, Amen.

1. 1 Corinthians 13:7 (NIV).