This summer I gave myself the goal of learning to swim. Traumatized by a childhood experience of almost drowning to death, I never imagined I would swim one day. I eventually motivated myself to sign up for swim classes since I really want to be able to enjoy in water with my little ones.
The very first step, and perhaps the greatest fear I had to overcome was learning how to float. When one gets into the pool, his or her weight presses down into the water. But what is amazing is that the water pushes back, keeping the person up. Also, the air in the lungs acts as balloons that keeps the body afloat. That is called “buoyancy.” In short, anyone can float on water naturally.
I was thrilled to know that God created human bodies this way. Not only on the land can we walk and run, but also in water we can float like fish. The problem is fear, which causes a person to lose natural buoyancy — resulting in sinking. So, trusting the water was my biggest challenge.
“Ree-lax. Ree-lax. Ree-lax. Everyone floats in the water and you will float,” my swim instructor admonished me. “It’s only 3.5 feet anyways. You will never be drowned. If anything happens, you can just stand right up. And I will be right here with you.”
Relaxation was the key to floating. Whenever I was tense, I breathed much shallower with less air in the lungs for floating. The more I pushed myself up, the deeper I sank. On the other hand, I floated better when I relaxed and trusted the water!
Learning to trust God is very much like trusting the water. Dear friends, have you entrusted your entire self to the Lord? When you trust in Him, He will never let you sink – even if you are swept up in a raging storm within your life.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV)
By Christy Tran