We are blessed to hear from Kimberly Grainger this week! You can learn more about her on the contributor’s page.

Several years back, our four teenagers begged for a family paddleboarding adventure.  Minnesota, “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” offered abundant opportunity, so we started our July 4^th celebrations with our kids and their friends on Lake Calhoun.

Honestly, I’d dreaded it.  I’m the clumsiest person alive, fully able to trip on air, so I figured I’d be in the lake within ten minutes.

But our oldest, J.D., coached us, running basic techniques, as I set out with our daughter, Elizabeth.  Believing the board was unsteady, I tensed, head-to-toe. Although a great isometric workout, the tension was unnecessary, and I soon learned the board’s steadiness meant I could relax.

Understanding my posture changed my footing.

Elizabeth and I paddled out, trading jokes and cracking ourselves up at our slow, wobbly progress.  Soon, though, we leaned into our boards, gaining speed and confidence. As our fear of splashing into Lake Calhoun fell away, our enjoyment surged.

We’d learned to trust our solid footing. 

In life, too, our perspective can be trust, since Isaiah 26:3 promises, You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

See, though the board was always steady, our mindset had to be, too. 

Peace is a choice. Peace is a Person. 

So, let’s relax into our lives with a more-than-conqueror mindset, though, sometimes, we must use against-the-current muscle. 

What if we stopped fighting circumstance and started finding Christ?

What if we released our fear to find our joy?

What’s your paddleboard right now?  Whatever it is, stay your mind on Jesus.