My youngest (5) was taking swim lessons last month. During the first lesson, after being gently guided under the water for a few seconds, she began screaming, “I don’t want to!” When asked to do it again. Now, in our family, that is not an appropriate response. I didn’t respond because I knew the swim teacher had everything under control. The swim teacher kept making her, despite her yelling. And it got loud. So much so that I went and sat in my car. At the end of the lesson, I took a sneak back in and watched Katie glide under water without holding her nose for 3 seconds. That’s a big step! She certainly wasn’t happy about it, but if her teacher hadn’t pushed her, she wouldn’t have done it on her own.
The next day, we went back to swim lessons, and she told me she was fearful. I told her it was ok to be fearful, but we can’t let our fear keep us from doing things. I told her we all need to put our faith in God, that he would keep her safe. That God chose the right person to be her swim teacher, and that God gave her teacher the knowledge of helping Katie. I explained that Jesus might have been fearful on the cross, that he might not have wanted to be up there, nailed to it. But he trusted in God’s plan and he did what needed to be done. We talked about this very topic, about how even in the scariest moments we need to have faith in God. There was no crying when I dropped her off.
When the lesson was nearly over, I snuck in again to watch. I saw Katie glide under water from one side of the pool to the other (the teacher by her side, yes). She got out of the water and saw me, and her face shone like the sun! When we got back to the car, she told me she was brave and she tried even though she was still a little scared. She told me she trusted her teacher. I told her that I, and God, were very proud of her still trying even though she was scared.
This verse may be more related to severe despair, and the chapter begins with speaking of being near death. So it’s not quite related to my 5 year olds swim lesson, but in a small way it is. She hasn’t seen life’s scary things to know there is worse things to fear than swim lessons (especially in a pool only 5 feet deep). But to her, especially her use of the word “fearful” I thought it fitting to share the story. We must be fearful in life, but that is easier said than done. God has a plan for us, and we should trust in it. Again, sometimes easier said than done. Especially when it comes time for someone’s story to end. God is near his people when their time has come. Sometimes, he will intervene and save them, where other times he calls them home. It’s never easy to loose a loved one. It’s never easy to read a news article about a child who has died. But we need to know that God has that person together with him. Let us continue to put our faith in God, even in our most fearful moments.
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