I remember my early summers in St. Louis. We lived in an apartment complex with a pool. Although, my parents were just making ‘ends-meet’, I thought the complex was the best neighborhood ever. My friends and I would venture to the pool everyday during the summers, take a break for lunch, then back till closing. We had a full-size pool, up to10 feet deep and a diving board. As a little guy, the diving board was the most intimidating, majestic and awe-striking part of the pool. It encapsulated everything about being a ‘man’ at the pool.
Shortly after I passed the test to swim in the deep end, my next goal was to conquer the diving board…but I was afraid. I had a friend who frequently dove off the board who encouraged me to take the jump. One day, she walked me up on the board, holding my hand, we both eased to the end. Looking below, all I saw was water, the unknown, my heart racing, I was filled with fear. My friend stepped back and said “jump, you’ll be okay!” I believed her but couldn’t muster the courage or the faith to jump.
In recalling this moment, I thought of the often paraphrased verse where Jesus says, “if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matt: 17-20. The faith of a mustard seed can move mountains!
Take a moment and reflect on yourself. When has fear won over faith? How much faith do you have? Many of us have had moments in our lives when we’ve looked down from our ‘diving board’ with more fear than faith. We hold tight to what’s familiar, tangible, reliable and not move forward with faith where the impossible becomes possible and our goals and dreams are realized.
In the Holy Quran, God is “the All-Knowing, the All-Aware” and states often, “It is I who provides.” We are reassured that God provides for us and knows what waits for us in the ‘pool’. Faith requires us to overcome our fear and move forward even when we are comfortable in our current condition or afraid of the unknown. When God gives us our visions and dreams He also makes the provision for their success but faith is required.
God reminds us, “Most surely in the heavens and the earth there are signs for the believers. And in your own creation and that of all the creatures which He spreads in the earth are Signs for a people who possess firm faith.” – Quran, 45:4-5. Faith doesn’t require miracles so don’t wait. The greatest miracle is your very existence.
I did jump off that diving board. I asked God to protect me, closed my eyes, held my nose and ‘splash’…now it’s your turn.
