Beyond the Bathtub Print

the story

I could have stayed in the bathtub. The safe path was waiting for me. Take the decent job in my hometown, get married, buy a house, and start collecting benefits. It was tempting, and by most standards, the smart choice. 

The only problem is that I knew exactly what life in the bathtub would look like.

Life outside the bathtub is fraught. The edges disappear as the shoreline fades from view. The waves toss us around until we’re seasick. At times it feels like we’ll drown—or be swallowed by something much bigger than ourselves. The current carries us in directions we never would have chosen.

Life inside the bathtub is safe, controlled, and predictable. But eventually the what ifs become impossible to ignore. What’s outside these walls? What am I truly capable of? Where might I go if I ventured beyond the edge of what I can see?

I’ve never been especially brave or outgoing. I just knew there was life beyond the bathtub. So I put my trust in the One who made the water, the waves, and the wind. That choice came with no certainty, no safety, and no benefits package. There were seasons when I felt lost at sea. Driftless. Doubtful. Overwhelmed. Afraid. Sometimes I still do. 

But I can’t go back now. I’ve been swept up into adventures I never would have known had I stayed in the bathtub.

We’re destined for a life beyond the bathtub. Of course it isn’t safe. 

But it is good.