The little grands have been ducks since
their earliest introduction to the water.
No fear would be an understatement when it comes to their approach to
the swimming pool. The two year old is
still required to wear a puddle jumper, but for his own protection. There is nothing he will not try, once he has
seen the brothers do it. He saw his
mother stand on her hands in the pool and immediately tried to do the same. It looked like a duck’s tail sticking out of
the water to see his feet in the air while still floating. Their early and consistent exposure to the
pool has made for good swimmers who are comfortable in the water.
Photo Credit:Allyson Abril
My daddy built a swimming pool when I was
in early elementary school. The nearest
swimming pool was 20 minutes from the small town I grew up in which limited our
exposure to swimming. Most of the
swimming in those days took place in ponds and rivers, which you shared with
the water moccasins. Needless to say,
Momma was not thrilled with the muddy water or the snakes, so I had limited swimming
exposure.
After the pool was built that was
remedied. Unfortunately, I had already
learned a healthy fear of the water. I
spent my swimming time in the shallow end or clinging to the side in the deep
end. I missed out on a lot of the fun
because I was afraid and unable to swim.
Daddy gave me some time, and watched me as
I played in the water. The day finally
came when he threw me in the deep end and it was sink or swim. In his defense, the pool was probably only
about 20 feet wide and 7 feet deep. He
was standing right there, and would not let me drown. There is nothing like the shock of no
concrete under your feet to teach you how to swim. I made it to the side, and thus began my lifelong
love of swimming.
While thinking over how I learned to swim,
I wondered how often we are clinging to the safety of the side in life. Hesitant to take a leap into the unknown, and
clinging to the safety of the edge of living, what are we missing? When we allow fear to rule our hearts and
forget to trust our Life Guard, what life changing experiences are we
missing? Relationships are not pursued,
service opportunities missed, moments of worship are passed over, and mission trips
avoided—because we remain in our comfort zones.
There is no need for this spirit of
fear. God has given us the ability to
conquer our fears and live life abundantly.
All it takes is turning to Him and admitting our weakness and allowing
His Holy Spirit to fill us with courage.
I am reminding myself—do not miss out—instead step out—and live life to
the fullest.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love
and of a sound mind.
II Timothy 1:7
Great story/analogy, I learned to swim when my dad threw us in Lake Michigan. Thanks for sharing, have a lovely Tuesday. Blessings
ReplyDeleteNow THAT might have frightened me!
DeleteBlessings , Sweet Friend
Fear can be really crippling both in real life and in our Faith life. You've written a wonderful post here Lulu. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you always.
Yes, Victor, we stand and stare-unable to move--and the only anti-dote is courage from Him!
DeleteThank you for always being encouraging, My Friend!
Blessings!
This post is apropos for our family. We're dealing with a sadness right now. Hubby's 23 yr old nephew has been so sheltered all his life I fear it's made him mentally ill. He's become delusional because of his over protective parents and seeks "comfort" from the internet. I really think that's dangerous. I could go into more detail, but not here. :) I don't know if he can be (physically) saved or not. Prayers are greatly appreciated. Thanks. ~:)
ReplyDeletePraying, Sparky, praying!
DeleteBlessings!