Going Where Your Feet Don’t Touch The Bottom

Snorkeling in Hawaii.

Sounds wonderful doesn’t it? I was on the vacation of a lifetime. Everyone else was going snorkeling, so I said: “What the heck.” Without life jackets, the group headed into the water from the beach.

I was ok until my flippers didn’t touch bottom. Then, I got a little shaky. Thoughts of self-preservation overtook any thoughts of a Kodak moment in the Pacific.

So I stayed back and snorkeled in the shallow water.

Come on, it was still beautiful.

I saw lots of brown driftwood, and an occasional yellow fish. Alright, it didn’t quite compare with the stories I heard from the group – giant sea turtles, coral the color of the rainbow, fish too beautiful to describe in words. I guess I missed out on something amazing because out of fear, I wouldn’t go where my feet didn’t touch the bottom.

Hmm…

Isn’t that true in our spiritual walk?

At times God calls us to go deeper, to a place that’s unfamiliar, scary – where we have to let go of control, give over our fears, and trust in him. If we can do it, God reveals something new to us…shows us wonders we never knew existed.

Don’t settle for a driftwood faith!

Trust and go where your feet don’t touch the bottom.

Something amazing waits.

Scripture Verses:

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart on your own intelligence rely not; In all your ways be mindful of him, and He will make straight your paths.

Luke 1:30-35, 38

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have had no relations with a man?” The angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God. “Mary said, behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever felt a pull to go deeper in your faith? How did you respond?
2. How easily are you able to let go of control?
3. In what area of your life is it most difficult to let go of control?
4. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being completely, how would you rate your ability to trust God?
5. What would be a scary thing for God to ask you to do or to give up right now, in order to take you deeper in your relationship with him?

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