Trust when we are ready.

 It has been so long.

It seems that writing a weekly sermon, or a 10 page paper as I have taken to calling it sometimes, has me a bit thin on the writing energy.

But lately I've been thinking about this parable and want to capture it somewhere before it disappears.

My 3 year old has learned to swim this summer.

Almost.

But she is more confident, capable and dangerous than any other 3 year old I know around water.

She will say, "I need to swim with a buddy" and then run off and jump in.

It's a bit horrifying and I love her courage.

She can swim.

But she cannot swim and take breathes.

It seems that we have to be able to take breaths for it to be useful as a mechanism for movement in the water.

Alas though, she has learned to swim short distances.

To jump in and swim to my arms,

To swim from arm to the wall,

To swim from one object to another.

She is brave.

And yet, she is not quite ready for the leap of faith to swim and pick her head up and put it back in.

She once her face comes out of the water she doesn't put it back in again.

She isn't ready yet to trust.

Isn't ready yet to full let go of the wall.

Let go of controlling the distance between us.

She is fully capable.

She has all the skills.

Except she cannot yet trust.

And frankly, that is fine.

She can take her time.

She can be held and carried as long as she needs.

I will keep catching her, keep getting kicked in the face and torso,

I will keep pushing her back to the wall to hold onto.

Until she is ready.

and says, "I can do it myself." 

and then, I am nearly certian, she will.