Learning to Swim

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend.

This weekend I had the opportunity to spend some time in the pool with my daughter. She is still in the process of learning how to swim and has become pretty proficient with a life jacket on. This weekend I determined that I needed to work with her on floating without a life jacket. I began by holding on to her hands and instructing her on how to lay out in the water, how to hold her breath and how to lift her head when she needed to breathe. After a while she had mastered these foundational tasks and it was time to try it without her daddy holding her hands.

This was the place that she had to work off of her trust in my ability to keep her safe. She knew that if she got in trouble I would be there to lift her up and keep her from harm. It is from this example that I would like to bring forth this morning’s encouragement.

Psalms 56:11
In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?

My daughter has learned that she can trust me through experience. Throughout her life she has seen me provide, protect, instruct and assist her through many situations. These experiences have built that unshakable confidence in my ability to sustain her. She also swims with me regularly, so she knows my confidence and skill in the water. As I gave her instructions, she never doubted the reasoning behind them or questioned why she needed to do these things. In her mind she realizes that I am taking her through a process that will allow her to swim without the aid of a life jacket.

In our lives, we must display the same confidence in our Heavenly Father. As we acknowledge His faithfulness in our lives, we find the stepping stones of trust that allow us to venture into the new adventures before us. We are able to undertake these new experiences with the confidence of knowing that God is always present to protect us if we get over our heads. This does not mean that He won’t allow us to struggle, because it is through the struggle that we learn; however, He will never allow that struggle to destroy us.

Today, you may find yourself treading the waters of life without a life jacket. Take heart God is with you, ready to keep you afloat when you begin to sink and through it all He is patiently and lovingly teaching you the principles necessary to swim.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl