Drowning in Shallow Waters

Rather recently, I saw a video of a young boy in the pool, hanging on for dear life to a rope.  Crying and kicking his legs, it was very apparent that the boy feared that if he let go, he would drown.  It wasn't until his sister came and planted his feet on the ground and he stood up that he was able to realize he was in shallow water.  Instantly, he stopped crying and the look on his face is priceless.  It was in that moment, and no sooner, that he recognized that though he was bigger than the water.

If you want to watch the video:  Click Here

I love this video because it's such a powerful example of what we experience in our own lives.  I wonder if it's anyone else that can testify to moments when you felt like you were holding on for dear life and were afraid to let go because you thought that if you did, you would surely drown.  I wonder if I'm the only one that has been crying and kicking in shallow waters because from my current posture, it seemed like it was bigger than, more than, deeper than I was able to handle.  I wonder if others can admit that they wasted time and energy stuck in the fear of what could happen instead of simply standing up...

But you can't really blame the little boy, can you?  From HIS PERSPECTIVE, there was a whole lot of water and he couldn't swim and it was scary.  As far as HE could see, if he let go, he would drown.  He couldn't see under him or around him.  His inability to swim stopped him from thinking that he had the ability to STAND UP!

All of that changed because someone in his life loved him enough to show him that he was bigger than his circumstance.  So while I would love to challenge us all to remember that we are bigger than our circumstances, I recognize that sometimes we simply cannot see that until someone else comes along and gives us ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE.  So instead, I want to challenge us all to be that big sister.  Be the one that shows someone that they are bigger than their circumstances.  Be the one that plants feet on the ground.  Because if you're anything like me, one day, you'll need someone to remind you that it's okay to let go and STAND UP.