Acts 20:22-23
But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem. What will happen to me there I do not know, except that in one city after another the holy Spirit has been warning me that imprisonment and hardships await me.
This weekend I spent a lot of time in the water with my sons. My older one is finally getting the hang of the whole swimming thing. His doggy paddle is so-so, but his underwater is pretty strong. He has approached the skill with caution and a steady progress. Meanwhile, his little brother has tossed the swimmies aside and decided to go all-in. Literally. It got to the point that I threatened to punish him if he jumped in again without warning an adult.
Their approach to swimming couldn't be more different. Liam was timid and calculating. Graham was bold and fearless. As the mom, I prefer Liam's approach, but I'll tell you what, Graham is going to be swimming at a much younger age than his big brother.
Without going into depth on their personalities - I'll just say that the little one has always been more adventurous. And specifically, with swimming - he ignored any fear because he wanted it more than he feared the water. And he trusted that there would always be someone there to catch him.
In today's reading from Acts, we hear Paul proclaim that he knows danger awaits him. Keeping with the swimming analogy, not only is there deep water and his swimmies have been tossed aside, but there are sharks circling. But Paul wants to proclaim Jesus more.
I know you're afraid of something. I am. I'm working on not being afraid, but that is hard. So what if we focused on wanting to follow God's will more? The fear might still be there, but it will shrink as our love and trust in God grows - and then we can dive in - unafraid and let God lead us where He wants us to go.
