The Courage to Get Wet

Today I sat with Matthew 18:3 - Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven". This verse teaches that entering God's kingdom requires a radical humility and dependence on God, similar to a child, rather than pride, self-reliance, or a desire for social status.
 
In the second year of cancer treatment, somewhere between car and kindergarten, my neice stopped before a puddle. With a mischievous smile, she measured the distance and jumped—water splashing, clothes dampening, laughter echoing like a victory song. Pure, unfiltered joy.
Two years of hospitals, and it was a puddle that brought her biggest smile.
Her fathers adult mind calculated: wet clothes, delays, the need to go home and change.
MY neice's heart saw something different: adventure.
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you." — Isaiah 43:2
Perhaps this is the difference between worry and worship. We adults see puddles and think: risk. Children see them and think: opportunity. We measure consequences while they measure joy.
Life isn't always about avoiding the puddles—it's about daring to jump even when we might get wet. It's in these unguarded moments, when we release our white-knuckled grip on control, that we discover how truly alive we are.
Tonight, a storm is coming. My brother will be in a place to, listen to the wind rage outside, gently reminded of how safe I really am—even when life storms around my head.
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." — Psalm 46:1
Reflection: What puddles are you avoiding today? What would childlike faith look like in your current storm? God doesn't promise we won't get wet—He promises to be with us in the water.
Lord, give me the courage to jump into today's small joys, even in the midst of life's storms. Teach me to trade my fear for wonder, my control for trust. Amen.