“…He stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.”
Psalm 147:18 NIV
I did something yesterday that I haven’t done in a very long time. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I did it. I’m pretty sure it was as a child.
I floated.
I stretched my arms out wide on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and I floated. I just let the water carry me. I have to say it was very difficult. Not the act of floating, the act of relaxing.
It became an experiment for me. I was determined to just let go. It was such an odd experience to be just laying there doing nothing, yet moving. I found my neck wanting to tense, I had to consciously tell it to relax. I found my arms wanting to move, I had to work to hold them still. My feet wanted to kick, I had to keep them quiet.
I was close to shore, the water was only a few feet deep. I could easily reach down and touch the sand beneath. This gave me comfort, helped me to relax a little more. It was something about having the security of the land right beneath me that made me feel safe.
The only way I was finally able to completely relax was to start focusing my thoughts on God.
I started thinking that this is what He wants me to do always. To trust Him and to let Him lead me. I began to realize how hard I fight against Him. How I find myself wanting to go in a different direction than where He is taking me. How I always want the security of a safety net, like touching the sand beneath me. That I didn’t completely trust Him to carry me, like the water was at that moment.
As I started to realize these things, I started to “feel” the waves around me. I began to be more present in the moment. I started to realize the difference in the waves. For the most part they were gentle and it was easy to float. Every now and then a larger one would come and make it more difficult. A couple of times water splashed in my face and I choked a little bit and there was an immediate sense of panic. Those were the times when I wanted to stop floating and just quit.
Then I realized this is like life.
For the most part our days are routine. Nothing major happens and we just go about our business. Some days are a little rougher, we aren’t quite ourselves but we persevere. Then there are those days that choke us, where we feel like we can’t breathe. Days we just want to quit. Those are the toughest. Those are the hardest days to stay afloat.
There was something else I observed in the few minutes of floating. The direction I was headed. Every now and then I would peek to see where I was. In the course of those few moments, I had turned completely around from the way I had started.
Just like life.
How many times have you headed in one direction, just to find yourself in the complete opposite? Even more, how many times has following God caused you to do the exact opposite of what you want to do?
Love instead of hate. Forgive instead of punish. Let go instead of hold on. Honor instead of disrespect. Trust instead of doubt. Persevere instead of quit.
I have no idea how long I floated. I do know that I never wanted it to end. As I laid there, feeling the sun on my face, the waves beneath me, my body limp, I felt peace. I felt love. I felt secure. I felt God.
Proverbs 3:5-6 is what kept coming to mind:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.”
God was telling me how to float!
I just need to trust Him completely. I don’t need to understand everything. I just need to seek Him. He will always show me the way.
It’s true. He doesn’t want us to do, He wants us to be. Be who He created us to be. Be where He wants us to be. Be present. Be real. Be here. Be you.
Just be!
Floating
