My sopping wet misstep
By Jessica Brodie
There I was, ankle-deep in the creek and a video camera in hand. It was a mild and pretty morning, and sunlight danced across the water as I filmed my husband crossing the creek in his Jeep. I’d gamely offered to record him—it was no big deal, something I’d done a bunch of times before, and we’d already crossed the creek the day prior, so I knew it wasn’t deep.
When he reached the other side, I clicked off the record button, took a step toward the other side—and unexpectedly plunged into neck-deep water.
Up to the surface I sputtered, stunned. What? How?
What I’d assumed was a shallow creek bed most certainly was not. I would have laughed if I’d had the breath, but I was too busy trying to keep the camera from going in, not to mention finding my footing on slippery river rocks.
By the time I got to the other side, I was soaked head-to-toe and looked like a wet rat as I stumbled up the bank toward my open-mouthed husband who couldn’t imagine how on earth his wife had gotten drenched in the ten seconds she was out of eyesight.
I was fine, of course. I scratched up my knee and elbow a little bit, but at the end of the day, it was just a laughable mistake.
Haven’t we all been there in life? We’re going along just fine, thinking we know what’s ahead of us, and find ourselves smack in the middle of a creek, drenched, sopping wet, and not even sure how we ended up there in the first place?
The truth is I’ve been there more times than I care to admit. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been gliding along in life thinking everything was smooth, when one misstep showed I was really closer to disaster than I’d even imagined. Hindsight is, as they say, 20/20, and I’ve come to realize that what looks like shallow water on the surface isn’t always the case.
It reminds me of a passage in scripture about how we need to keep our focus always upward. It’s from Hebrews 3:1, “Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest” (NIV).
Life brings unexpected surprises, both good and bad. We often assume we know what’s ahead of us and get it completely wrong. We assume we have all the time in the world, only to go to the doctor and get a frightening diagnosis or wind up in a debilitating car crash. Life as we’ve known it only an hour ago is suddenly, and sometimes irreversibly, upside down.
There’s only one thing we can really do in times like these, and that is to look up. Look toward God, who controls all things. Look toward God who is able to give us strength from reserves we never had in the first place and only have because of Him.
One of my very favorite songs is called “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail),” by Hillsong UNITED, and it talks about how we are to keep our eyes on God when the waves feel like they’re crashing all around us and threatening to drag us out to sea, for God is where we can find our rest. Not only are the music and vocals beautiful, but the message reminds me of an important truth I need to remember even on days when everything seems just fine.
Wherever you are in life this week, whether that’s accidentally stumbling into neck-deep water when you think it’s a shallow creek crossing or something far more serious, remember that things might look one way on the surface, but different far below. Regardless, God is always there holding us up and holding us close.
How about you? Have you made a misstep, whether it’s something silly or something serious? Has it reminded you of an important truth about where God is in all of this? I’d love to hear in the comments below. God bless you, and have a great week.
