By Ariane Williams

Unattractive. Slimy. Many people hate the thought of frogs.

A couple of weeks ago, I felt as if I was sinking into the feelings of this world and losing the feelings of the world that God built within me. As I stood in the shower, something sparked my attention. As I stood in the shower, my eyes were redirected from sinking into leaping. It was then that I noticed a frog jumping over my head, landing on the floor in the shower. I was scared to move; I had no choice but to move. There was a short pause, but then there was a scream. My husband rushed into the bathroom, thinking I was hurt. Scared of the thought of the frog, my husband called our son to capture the frog. He refused to touch the frog because it was slimy, and a frog’s jump is unexpected.

A moment that was once depressing for me, turned into a moment of laughs. God was showing me how to leap unexpectedly. As I thought about the frog throughout the day, I thought about the need to leap when things in life seems to be unattractive and slimy. FROG simply means “Firmly Rely on God.” Are you? God was showing me that I had to rely on Him and not the feelings of this world. Some people believe that frogs represent negativity; however, the frogs in the Bible represented movement and leaping when God needs people to move in place.

Frogs symbolize love, blessings, prosperity and transformation. God is trying to get you to leap. God is trying to get you to claim your leap. The changes that you are experiencing right now may seem to be sinking, but God is putting you in a place of leaping. You may feel as if you are in a plague. This place that you are in is not a place of destruction; it was a place of preparation, and now it is time for you to leap.

I found it interesting that I did not see the frog jumping throughout my house that morning, but the frog was there. You may not see where God is taking you, but He is sending some unattractive and slimy things so that you can leap. The frog was in the place where God could get my attention in an unattractive way to attract me to Him.

Ever since my frog experience, I have been claiming my leap. My husband responded to my scream; my son captured the thing that made me scream. Stop expecting everyone to respond to your scream; God will send people to respond, and He will send people to help you capture that thing that is holding down your leap. In my moment of need, God sent something small to bring me wisdom and strength, and He will do the same for you. Go and worship. God will do it for you tomorrow. A jump can be uneven and unattractive. A leap can increase in height and can allow you to position one leg in front of the next to travel a long distance. You are transitioning from a jump to a leap.

I realized that day that I was claiming things in my mind that were not meant for me to claim. Stop claiming things that are protesting in your spirit. The next time you see a frog, do not frown, but smile knowing that the frog symbolizes your next leap into new dimensions. The pond or shower that you are in may feel unattractive to you, but what if the frogs are coming to make you try something new? What if the frogs are coming so that you can leave your safety net? What if God is calling you to come as you are while daring you to leap? What if you are standing in line and everything behind the counter belongs to you, and all you must do is claim it. You better leap and claim it.

Ariane Williams is a teacher, minister, published author and liturgical dancer. Email her at arianewilliams810@yahoo.com.