I remember taking swimming lessons as a kid. They were in a pool outside and my most vivid memory was feeling as if I might freeze. I was a super skinny kid so you would think I would swim well. To sum it up, I could sink like a rock. When we were taught to tread water, I worked twice as hard as everyone else just to keep from sinking. Learning to float on my back was even more special. I was taught to relax, just let the body float. That’s great advice if you are not sinking and water is filling up your face. As it turns out, I would learn to swim fairly well. As an adult, it is one of my favorite things to do. But I must admit, I still can’t relax when I float on my back. Yep, I still sink like a rock. Apparently lots of extra pounds and some experience do not make up for me being able to float.
It can be scary to feel like you are sinking. There is a panic that quickly sets in when you don’t feel like you can keep your head above water. That’s exactly the feeling we can get when we feel like life is overtaking us as well. It doesn’t have to be in water. It can feel like the demands of the day are overwhelming. We can get the sense that our grief will swallow us up whole. We may feel like we are drowning in our sorrows or anxieties. Stress can come as waves washing over our already worn out souls. To hear we need to relax can seem so contradictory. We are sinking! Why would we relax?
Relaxing, for me, doesn’t always seem to be a viable option. But there is still a solution. We begin to look up. We search for a rescue. We cry out for help in our distress. We will be heard. We will not have to face this alone. God hears our cries. The Psalmist in today’s focus scripture understands this. God reaches down and rescues out of deep waters. God will not let us go. When we call on him, he rescues. The waves of our distress cannot overtake us when God can calm the seas.
May you feel his presence and be rescued by his love. May you breathe, knowing God is taking care of you.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 18:16
He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY 