I recently went to a pool and watched my niece and nephew jump off the diving board a gazillion times (that is only a slight exaggeration).  There was a low board and a high diving board and they tried them both: frequently.  They tried all kinds of ‘tricks’ and didn’t worry about whether they could actually complete them perfectly or not.  There were half-finished cannonballs, dives that were crooked, crazy wiggles at the end of the board, and a few ‘ What WAS that?’ maneuvers.  The most astounding thing happened in the middle of the afternoon when a passing shower sent a deluge over the area for well-over ten minutes.  Did it slow the swimmers down?  Not at all!  However, the adults scrambled for cover and thought about leaving for the day. But not the kids, they continued to jump off the diving boards and laughed merrily as the rain and the pool water collided.

In Matthew 18:3 Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven.”  To understand this verse, let’s look closer at the example of my niece and nephew.  They weren’t performing as if going for a gold medal, they were humbly approaching each dive.  There was a simple acceptance of each other, enjoying the time together.  And when the rainstorm came through, they had complete trust that their parents would get them out of the pool if necessary.  And since their parents weren’t saying it was dangerous, they appreciated each moment, whether in the sun or in the rain.

The lesson?  We can trust our Heavenly Father to watch over us. From Psalm 121:5, “The Lord Himself watches over you!  The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.”  So let’s enjoy our time together, live in every moment, and trust God with the details.  And by all means, let’s forget what we look like in a bathing suit and take time to jump off the high dive!