Last Sunday, we took a family field trip to Lake Thurmond in Hamilton Branch State Park. It was a fun day of fishing, swimming, and enjoying nature.

At one point, the boys were swimming close to the bank. Brooks had on a life jacket because while Alex has curls like the Hoff, I didn’t think he was in the mood for a Baywatch-esque rescue. Brooks loved splashing his brothers and pretending to be a fish in the shallow water.

What was funny was that every time he floated on his stomach, he started to panic, screaming and crying for someone to help him. The first time it happened, we all went over to him, calmly and compassionately explaining to him that he was safe. We showed him he could easily touch the bottom, he just needed to stand up. Five minutes later, he was screaming and crying again. We went over, reminded him what he needed to do, and went back to what we were doing. This cycle continued, and I was beginning to wonder if he had short-term memory loss! Finally, after about the fourth time, one of us would just yell, “Put your feet down! You can touch!” without even looking his way.

Every time we reminded him he could touch, Brooks would stop flailing, put his feet down on the bottom of the lake, and be like, “Oh, yeah, there it is.” We could see the recognition and relief cross his face.

The whole situation reminded me of the story in Matthew 7 of the wise man who built his house on the rock. The rains came down, but his house stayed put because it was on a solid foundation. The foolish man who built his house on the sand wasn’t so lucky; his house washed away.

I would wager that fear is the most common storm we face. We can get swept away by the fear of change, of making the wrong choices, of the unknown. We can jump to conclusions and make up worst-case scenarios that will, most likely, never happen. It’s so easy to get caught up in the fear of the moment, we toss our rational thinking overboard.

If we have built a relationship with God, though, we always have solid ground to stand on. We don’t have to be afraid. We can trust that He will be there to support us through the storms of life. We just have to stop thrashing and splashing long enough to take a breath and remember what’s under our feet.

When I’m scared, I act a lot like Brooks. In the midst of my struggles, I often forget how God has helped me in the past. I forget prayers God has answered and miracles He has performed. Ultimately, fear causes me to lose my footing and forget God’s promises.

So, how do we reset our feet on the unshakeable foundation of God? Is it through reading the Bible? Going to church? Listening to a favorite song? Talking with a friend? Or even paying attention to the signs of God’s presence in our everyday lives? Whatever it is that helps you stay grounded, take time to do it today.

We will all face storms in life, and I’m not gonna lie, some of them may be downright scary. Thankfully, we have a rock to stand on when the rains start coming. Whenever you face fear, my friend, know God is with you and will keep you wherever you go (Genesis 28:15). All you have to do is “Put your feet down!”