Today I took my kids to the pool at the hotel we were staying at. It’ October, and we could still swim at the outdoor pool. I know that is a whole different subject. Anyway, it was a warm 88 degrees outside with a nice overcast, so you can imagine the pool water was slightly cold. The kids tried to ease their way into the water, but every time would run out yelling and screaming (happily), it’s so cold. I suggested they just jump in and get the initial shock over. There were tons of chatter and laughter about if they were going to jump in. Then finally they gathered together, I counted to three, and they jumped in. There was tons of laughter, excitement, and pure gratefulness that they were in the water swimming and floating. They were no longer concerned about the temperature or worried about having to ease into the water. They were simply enjoying the moment, the experience, the water.
This tiny moment was so symbolic to me. If you have been following me on Instagram, then you know I have a unique hashtag #whengodsaysjumpjump. This hashtag is a representation for me of my current journey of floating in the ocean with no raft and no life jacket. Because that is what being an entrepreneur and business owner feels like to me. Instructing my kids to jump into the pool of cold water and then counting to three and watching them do it was an aha moment for me.
God has once again instructed us to jump into the water. Right when we were getting cozy on our little raft. I have to admit I argued, begged, pleaded, asked a thousand times if he was serious, before finally jumping. There was no laughter, excitement, nor joy. There was only worry, doubt, confusion, and pure fear. Now I am in the ocean once again, I am still questioning the idea and his instructions on jumping. Was this a good idea, should we have really jumped, maybe he was joking, perhaps we missed understood. There is no swimming, giggling, laughter, or gratefulness for being in the water.
As my kids’ mother, I would never instruct them to do anything that would cause them harm or discomfort. I have their best interest and only want the best for them. Telling them to jump in the water, of course, was going to cause temporary discomfort, but I knew once the initial shock was over, they were going to have a great time, and that initial discomfort would be worth it. And they trusted me, trusted that I wouldn’t lead them in the wrong direction, trusted that I knew what I was talking about. So much so that all I had to do was count to three, and they jumped. NO questions or pushback.
KIDS ARE AMAZING THAT WAY.
Doesn’t The Universe want the best for us? Would The Universe ever cause us harm or unjustified discomfort when we are on our path of purpose? Some would have us believe the answer is yes. And honestly, if you grew up being with fear-based trust being shoved down your throat, then you probably answered yes to these. You can think of several examples from the bible showing just this. I know I was one of those that grew up with fear-based religion. And if we are speaking candid, this is why jumping when God said jump was so difficult for me. This is why I questioned the idea and notion of jumping. Can I really trust The Universe? Can I really trust that everything will be ok?
CAN I TRUST NOT TOO?
What would happen if you jump when you’re told to jump? Sure there will be a brief moment of fear, sure there will be a moment of discomfort, but once the fear, shock, and discomfort pass, there is excitement, joy, adventure, and, more importantly, freedom.
The thing is, God never intended for us to struggle with trust or fear. We have been given the ability to listen to the language of The Universe. Rather, we choose to listen and follow those instructions determines the outcome of our journey. Deciding not to jump will prolong the reward. My kids could have opted not to jump and simply slowly ease their way into the water little by little. They would have eventually gotten the same joy and excitement in the end, but it would have taken a lot longer. The entry into the reward would have been a lot harder, as well. Trying to adjust slowly to the coldness could have taken away from the journey and the joy. It would have made them question the idea and ask is it really worth it. They would have gotten in and out in and out as they tried to force themselves mentally to get in. They wouldn’t have trusted the process that in the end, it would be worth it because they were still trying to jump unnecessary hurdles.
JUMPING WHEN INSTRUCTED TO JUMP ALLEVIATES UNNECESSARY HURDLES
When God has instructed you to jump, jumping will elevate you to your goal a lot faster. You will bypass hurdles that you otherwise would have had to jump if you didn’t jump. I know it sounds crazy. I’ll give you an example. You’re floating on your raft, feeling semi-safe and secure. You know you are floating to your destination, and your perfectly fine with the estimated arrival time. God suddenly instructs you to jump. But you are overcome by fear, anxiety, distrust, and several other things, so you don’t jump. Several miles down the ocean, your raft begins to leak, there is a hole.
You panic and need to figure out a way to patch the hole. You stop at the little island you come across and spend days trying to repair your raft. While you’re there, several of your supplies are stolen. You are now short on food, water, and other significant supplies. You finally repair your raft and get back on it. Floating along, you come in contact with a storm that ultimately destroys your raft. You panic. You desperately grab on to one of the boxes of supplies and hold on to you get to another space onshore. You spend months trying to build a raft and restock your supplies. All the while, being attacked in different areas and faced with various obstacles to overcome. You question if it’s even worth it, maybe you should stay onshore and make this life work.
What you didn’t know is that God already foresaw the leak, the island, the attack, the storm, and this is why he instructed you to jump. Jumping wouldn’t have prevented discomfort, but it would have prevented additional obstacles.
Watching the fearlessness of my kids gives me hope and a renewed faith. They are fearless not because they are braver the next person, but because they trust everything will be ok. They believe in the end, it will all be great. They find joy in the unknown and discomfort. They trust my love. They are not concerned about what lies ahead; if they jump, they are only concerned with the present idea of jumping, and for them, that sounds like fun. They see it as an adventure to be conquered. They don’t have any reason to think otherwise.
WHO TOLD YOU TO THINK OTHERWISE?
Tanyell Cole 