Catch Me, Daddy

Little Iris climbed out of the pool and eagerly walked along the edge to where her father was standing waist-deep in the water. "Catch me again, Daddy!" she called. Iris leaped toward her father almost before he could get his arms up to catch her. "Wheeee!" he exclaimed as he pulled her around in the water and then took her to the shallow end where she could touch bottom. Soon Iris was back up the steps and heading toward her jumping spot again."Iris sure does trust Dad to catch her," said her older sister, Olivia. "And I can't believe how many times he keeps doing it. You'd think he'd get tired of it, but he actually seems to enjoy it!"Mom smiled. "You know what I think? I think this is a good picture of our faith in God. Your dad is happy that Iris trusts him enough to jump into his arms again and again. And because he caught her the first few times, she learned to trust him more and more. She jumped almost before he was ready the last time."Olivia was confused. "How is that like us and God?""Well, first of all, we need to trust Jesus to forgive our sins and save us," replied Mom. "Then, as God works in our hearts, we also learn to trust Him for many other things in life--sometimes for specific things, like providing for our needs or help finding friends at a new school." Olivia nodded. When they had moved the year before, those were things she'd often prayed about."After we trust God for something and find that He's faithful in keeping His promises, it's easier to trust Him the next time we have a problem," continued Mom. She smiled as Iris squealed and leaped toward her father's arms once again. "The more we exercise our faith, the more it grows. When Iris jumps into the pool, she doesn't think, 'Maybe Daddy will catch me.' She knows he will. Dad is pleased that Iris trusts him, and when we trust God like that, knowing that He loves us and will always take care of us, He is pleased too."–Lyndel F. Walker