Flailing Forward in Faith

It was a frigid winter day. I rushed my three kids into the car and took them to the local indoor pool for swimming lessons. While they swam, I chose to swim too. Although I felt quite self-conscious in a swimsuit during the winter, especially as my tan contrasted with the white snow outside, I resolved to hold my head high and not concern myself with others' opinions. 

I hurried to the edge of the kiddie pool, where infants were splashing in a shallow area. I thought stepping into the shallow end was the easiest way to enter the pool. Why bother with a ladder or stairs when I could just walk in? However, I didn't notice that the kiddie pool sloped significantly at this spot, making it a little deeper there. The section where the babies and parents played was quite shallow. 

So, distracted by my desire for a quick and quiet entrance, I stepped in and down, down, down I went. Not gracefully as I had hoped. No, instead with flailing arms and somehow landing on the tops of my feet, which sent me sprawling into a loud, splashing crash landing. Mortified, I emerged with as much grace as I could muster. Noticing the smirking adults nearby who pretended to be distracted by their small children splashing in the baby pool. I crossed to the lap swim area and began to swim laps, laughing to myself at what a fool I made of myself trying to be inconspicuous. That did not go as I had planned at all. Yet, oddly, I actually enjoy that memory because it is something that makes me laugh every time I think of it. 

Sometimes in life, things don’t go as planned, and we may feel out of our element or embarrassed. Occasionally, these are harmless, awkward moments like mine, or they might be something more serious that threatens the happiness we’ve built for ourselves. We may not understand why and might cry out to God in frustration. Yet, we hold a solid hope that someday we can look back on these challenging times in life and smile, because God will bring us out of them or guide us through them.  

Jesus is coming soon. He has rewards (Revelation 22:12) waiting for us that are beyond anything we can imagine—“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT).

Call to Action

If you find yourself in frustrating, awkward, embarrassing, or confusing situations that feel impossible to solve, Jesus can help you (John 1:37). Best of all, there is a wonderful hope and a bright future waiting for you, much better than anything you could possibly imagine. Remember, along life’s journey, it can be beneficial to smile, endure, or even find humor in the moment—and hold onto the faith that, one day, God will bring everything together for your good.