Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
Most every morning finds me at the pool for a water aerobics class. Before and after class begins, (if I’m early or stay late), I enjoy watching the swimmers who come to do laps. Swimming really is quite an art, and if one is good, it’s pure poetry in motion.
The seasoned swimmer literally uses their stroke and pushes water that is in front of them behind them. They are moving whatever stands in the way of their goal. They are confident, rhythmic, and they make swimming look effortless as they glide through the water toward their goal. These people are comfortable in the water, and they trust the water and their skill to make it all work.
Then there are those who are afraid of the water. We have a lady who wants to swim so badly, but she fights the water all the way and her body sinks like a rock. She doesn’t trust the things she has learned, and her fear is obvious. The fear will take you under every time. The situation would be comical if it weren’t so painful to watch.
Sometimes when I ask people how they are, they respond with, “Well, I’m keeping my head above water and pressing on.” These are times when we are just treading water. The fact is we can only tread water for so long, before, eventually, we will drown. The waters that we are treading through don’t determine our destiny; they either carry us over or take us under.
There are those times in life when we, like a swimmer in water, have to feel comfortable enough to take hold of the faith God has placed within us and keep moving forward through those times when we feel like we are sinking and there’s nowhere to turn.
It’s these times when the swimmer in us presses on and fights our way through while being confident that God is on our side because He surely is. Don’t quit pressing on, for if you do, God can do nothing more for you! No matter whether we are treading water or comfortable swimming, God is there for us.
The beginning of a new year offers the perfect opportunity to press on confidently and with a renewed faith in God and His plan.
Love this analogy, especially since we were pool friends…I’m so thankful we were given that special time before we left ATL…your blog always speaks ti my heart!
Thank you Diane. As always, a great challenge❣️