"An excessive heat warning is being issued for the St. Louis area. Expect a record high of 98 today with searing high humidity and a heat index of 102," I heard the TV weatherman announce one recent morning. Welcome to good 'ole Missouri summer weather. It's when I hear weather reports like this that I'm so grateful for our backyard swimming pool.
The boys dig out their swimming trunks from their dressers and I freshly launder their beachtowels sometime in March in preperation for "opening day". Come late April it's time to peel back the pool cover and see what creatures have taken up residency in the murky water. Once we've shocked the water and it's a normal aqua blue color once again it's time for someone to take the ceremonial "first dive". The someone usually turns out to be my youngest son, Joseph. He'll climb onto the diving board while his big brothers chant "Joe! Joe! Joe!". Then he'll take a deep breath, run, bounce on the end, and then heroically dive into the extra chilly water. From that day on until late September there's usually at least one or two people in the pool each day splashing around.
As opposed to my amphibious-like boys, I take my good sweet time getting in the pool. My pool entering criteria is quite specific. The water usually has to be a very comfortable 86 degrees, the sun has to be out with few clouds in the sky, there can only be a slight or, better yet, no breeze in the air. As you can tell, my list of conditions has to be near perfect.
When I do finally get in, it's usually to float on a raft and sunbathe. My tanning routine goes something like this-thirty minutes on my tummy, flip over,thirty minutes on my back and then I repeat; all the while making sure that I don't get my hair wet in the process.
My unadventurous and calculable pool habits drive my boys crazy. "Come on, Mom, dive in!", "Play Marco Polo with us, Mom", "Let's have a diving contest, Mom" are just some of their many aquatic invitations. "Maybe another day, guys," or "I don't want to get my hair wet, fellas," I may respond.
The boys play and have a blast while Mom lays out was all pretty much the standard swimming pool routine until recently. Not too long ago one of my kids, I'm not sure which one, said something pretty profound that made me change my stubborn predictable pool ways. He said, "Mom, how will you know you won't have a blast until you dive right in? You never know, you might like it."
To most people that may not sound like a profound statement, but it was to me. Let me explain. I'm a very predictable person. A steady-as-you-go, creature of habit kind of lady that likes to have both her feet on the ground and avoids anything remotely dangerous or adventurous. Sticking to a routine and not veering from it is how I operate.
This comment could have been spoken from the lips of my heavenly Father instead of from one of my kids as far as I'm concerned. I think sometimes God uses innocent words from children to teach us lessons. He did for me that day. It was as if He was the One in the water beckoning me to "dive right in" and experience things like never before. To dive into things in life that aren't always predictable. Things that I need to trust Him with. Things that I'll never experience until I try them. It was as if He was telling me that I can't put Him and His ways in a neat little box. That I can't even imagine His greatness and His power. That I can't control Him and manipulate my surroundings to my liking. That I don't have to wait for perfect conditions to experience Him. That I could go around the pool of this thing we call "Life", only dabbling my feet into the water or I could experience Him completely and wholeheartedly taking risks along the way knowing that He has everything and, I mean everything, under control.
I wonder how many of you out there reading this are like me. There's bound to be a few of you. What do you say, do you want to take a chance and dive right into the water of Life with me? There's safety there. In the words of my son, "You never know you might like it."
Marco? Polo....Marco? Polo....
Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” John 4:10
Lynn,
ReplyDeleteThis is so deep. And is so true of How Great God is. I mean I for one am so baffled that the One who Created the Heavens and the Earth and all that is seen and unseen. And the One who died for my sin would love me and be mindful of me or of anyone of us.
Your blog here makes so much sense and is so profound. To some it up we can get busy living and living for Christ or get busy dying.
Life may not always be to are liking or how we would choose for it to be. But rest assured God is Good All the time and this is not meant to be our permanent home.
And let us remember God's Word when He said He has good plans for us. Plans to prosper us and to give us a future and a hope. It is my sincere hope for all of us, that we can learn to walk in the fulfilment of all of the good plans that God does have for us. That we would be lacking no good thing and that all would truly find their life in Christ.
michael smith
LOVE IT!
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