Praise God for this past week of ups, and downs. I continue to stand firm in my convictions that while I do pray selfishly to land somewhere in the middle of the road, the lessons in getting there far outweigh the actual currency derived from the endeavor required to do so.
This past weekend I had my five-year-old daughter and two of her friends in the pool. One of the parents mentioned that their child could swim but would struggle if the water was over her head. Needless to say, I kept my eyes on this individual the entire time, while the other two were never farther than ten feet away. During one of their games, this young girl found herself in the deep end struggling to keep her nose above the surface. I was out of my chair in two milliseconds and in the water, right by her side, ready and willing to pull her to safety. With one hand on her back and the other holding her arm, the panic subsided, and she made it to the stairs stronger and more confident than when she had first arrived.
If this isn’t my business relationship with God right now, I don’t know what it is. So many times, I have entered the pool excited and confident as the water promises a refreshment that is beyond what is understood in the moment. The guarantee of a much-needed recharge from the doom that nearly every news channel pledges given our current state, eclipses any fear the depth could possibly bring. Everything seems manageable until I venture to the other side where I can no longer touch. The stability of the gunite below is just out of reach and the risks of going deeper consistently increase, while the price tag of engaging nearly triples. Understanding there is great expanse in the struggle, I find myself having to make difficult decisions and really trust He is watching when my nose is just above the surface.
The Lord has sustained me in more ways than I can count and while I know He will never leave me, it does not negate the desire to have Him 3.5” from my side when I can no longer feel the safety of the concrete below. His hand on my back reassures that my rescue is imminent and my hand in His holds firmly to the knowledge that “He is able to sympathize in my weakness” and will provide more than “sufficient grace” in these times of toil and labor.
He will forever be my Refuge and my Strength. And in this sea of what feels like a constant treading of water, He has, is and will forever be my solid and dry Foundation.
