Over the Christmas holiday, Kristin and I were able to visit her parents in Orlando. The irony of where they live is that it is the same neighborhood in which I grew up from second grade until leaving for college. The picture above is the signature piece of the neighborhood. It is a natural spring that has been around since 1926 (Check out http://www.thespringsconnection.com if you want more history). After a long history of being open to the public, the 400 acres of land were privatized into a housing community. The Spring was the place where everyone would go to hang out, swim, play tennis, basketball, etc. It was a great place.

While visiting this time, I needed to work out and headed down to the Spring. It was 7am so no one was there yet. I finished my workout by the gazebo and walked over to the Spring. Two things struck me as I looked down from the railing. First of all, the water still comes out consistently like is has for the eighty plus years. It never stopped, took a break or got tired. It just keeps pumping. A lot like God’s love. No matter how distracted we get, where our travels take us or focused we can be on other things…God’s love is always pointed at us waiting for us to come back. And like the Spring, it flows strong.

Look again at the picture. You see the fence above the stones. That used to be the “high dive.” The Spring is plenty deep, you could actually dive off and not hit the bottom. They fenced it off. I am sure there is a good “liability reason” behind that one. It’s too bad…I have a lot of good memories on that high dive. And, a terrible one. I was so afraid of jumping off that high dive. I was sure I would smash into thousands of pieces and would drown. I am not sure how long my parents coaxed me, but eventually I jumped. After that, I wasn’t afraid of the high dive. Another life lesson for me. When I jump, I will not be shattered. The picture above shows how high the dive actually is – about 6 feet above the water. Seems silly now but then it was seemed like a true leap of faith.

As you head into the new year, maybe it is time for you to address some “old fears.” Is it time to come back to God’s love? Is it time for you to jump and take a leap of faith? Is it time to break away from the past and move forward in freedom? Time will tell…