Rest is risky. It’s hard work to move away from responsibilities, to give up control, to give yourself a break. Sometimes it feels easier to keep swimming forward, kicking and stretching, never looking up, stealing breaths when you get a chance. Letting go and letting the waters carry you means not knowing the outcome and being open to new possibilities, to trust in the directions God will take you.
The waters of baptism bring both death and new life—death to our human failings (and human plans!) and new life in our identity as a child of God, each and every day. Baptism reminds us we can’t do it all ourselves and we need to rely on God, remembering Jesus’ promise in John 7:38 that “out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.” We don’t provide living water for ourselves; Jesus is our endless source of water and life.
This message is excerpted from “Rest and risk” by Jennifer Hackbarth in the June 2022 Cafe online magazine.
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