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Whenever I am afraid,
I will trust in You. Psalms 56:3 NKJV
Swimming Lesson
One of my best friends and I share a thousand things in common. One thing we do not share in common. My good friend swims. I don’t. While she dives and paddles and breast-strokes through the water, I dangle my feet in, or when I’m feeling really adventurous, I wade.
We’ve accepted our difference. I’m sure, I’m exasperating. I know she has a whole exciting world in which she participates, while I’m merely a spectator and all that. However, over many years that’s how it’s been.
Now and again, she’s even taught kids to swim. I’d babysit and carpool her children, while she taught other peoples’ children, as well as my own, to swim. It was a good arrangement, I thought.
One day, she stopped by to tell me she was giving swimming lessons again. I’d be going to babysit and carpool.
“Come early. I especially want you to see one of the kids swim,” she called over her shoulder, before driving off.
The next day, we were there a bit early. I sat on the soft grass, leaned my back against a tree, felt the sun on my shoulders, and watched the young girl in the water that my friend had especially wanted me to see.
“I’m right here beside you,” I heard my friend reassure the child.
My head came up and I stared.
The young girl in the water was blind!
Swimming in what must seem like a cold, frightening void. On and on she swam, following the voice of my friend. Never seeing her instructor, she followed the guidance of the voice. The arms of my friend were always hovering close, yet the child wouldn’t always realize that. No one else swam at that time, while my friend gave her undivided attention to the child’s progress and watched unblinkingly to keep her safe.
How often have we each, merely dangled our feet into life, wading out ever so cautiously, afraid of the cold, black, void in our spiritual blindness, never realizing that just beyond our sight was our Heavenly Father’s unfailing eye, His arms of protection, hovering close to catch, to hold, to enfold us to Himself. He watches our progress as though we were the only ones in the universe. He never takes His eye from any of us.
If, like the child, we could but swim in faith through the dark, counting on the unseen arms of Love to catch us when we sink, listening to the Voice of Love to guide us when we stray, to finally, dive into Life, in faith. Your Father’s arms are there to catch you.
It was what I learned that day in my swimming lesson, taught by God.
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“I want to thank Carol for another great inspiring story. Everything she writes seems to touch some part of our lives. They make us see things differently,” Pastor Bruce.
We learn from life. It is God’s great classroom to teach us how to live by faith. Donna’s Song is another inspiring story to show how everyone can make a difference in this world. Regardless of handicaps or lack of knowledge God wants to use you!
Please feel free to leave comments when you feel inspired. It would bless us and encourage us to do more.