\u201c…He stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.\u201d
\n\u202d\u202dPsalm\u202c \u202d147:18\u202c \u202dNIV<\/i><\/b>\u202c\u202c
\nI did something yesterday that I haven’t done in a very long time. \u00a0In fact, I can’t remember the last time I did it. \u00a0I’m pretty sure it was as a child.
\nI floated.
\nI stretched my arms out wide on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and I floated. \u00a0I just let the water carry me. I have to say it was very difficult. \u00a0Not the act of floating, the act of relaxing.
\nIt became an experiment for me. \u00a0I was determined to just let go. \u00a0It was such an odd experience to be just laying there doing nothing, yet moving. \u00a0I found my neck wanting to tense, I had to consciously tell it to relax. \u00a0I found my arms wanting to move, I had to work to hold them still. \u00a0My feet wanted to kick, I had to keep them quiet.
\nI was close to shore, the water was only a few feet deep. \u00a0I could easily reach down and touch the sand beneath. \u00a0This gave me comfort, helped me to relax a little more. \u00a0It was something about having the security of the land right beneath me that made me feel safe.
\nThe only way I was finally able to completely relax was to start focusing my thoughts on God.
\nI started thinking that this is what He wants me to do always. \u00a0To trust Him and to let Him lead me. \u00a0I began to realize how hard I fight against Him. \u00a0How I find myself wanting to go in a different direction than where He is taking me. \u00a0How I always want the security of a safety net, like touching the sand beneath me. \u00a0That I didn’t completely trust Him to carry me, like the water was at that moment.
\nAs I started to realize these things, I started to “feel” the waves around me. \u00a0I began to be more present in the moment. \u00a0I started to realize the difference in the waves. \u00a0For the most part they were gentle and it was easy to float. \u00a0Every now and then a larger one would come and make it more difficult. \u00a0A couple of times water splashed in my face and I choked a little bit and there was an immediate sense of panic. \u00a0Those were the times when I wanted to stop floating and just quit.
\nThen I realized this is like life.
\nFor the most part our days are routine. \u00a0Nothing major happens and we just go about our business. \u00a0Some 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. \u00a0Days we just want to quit. \u00a0Those are the toughest. \u00a0Those are the hardest days to stay afloat.
\nThere was something else I observed in the few minutes of floating. \u00a0The direction I was headed. \u00a0Every now and then I would peek to see where I was. \u00a0In the course of those few moments, I had turned completely around from the way I had started.
\nJust like life.
\nHow many times have you headed in one direction, just to find yourself in the complete opposite? \u00a0Even more, how many times has following God caused you to do the exact opposite of what you want to do?
\nLove instead of hate. Forgive instead of punish. \u00a0Let go instead of hold on. \u00a0Honor instead of disrespect. Trust instead of doubt. \u00a0Persevere instead of quit.
\nI have no idea how long I floated. \u00a0I do know that I never wanted it to end. \u00a0As I laid there, feeling the sun on my face, the waves beneath me, my body limp, I felt peace. \u00a0I felt love. \u00a0I felt secure. \u00a0I felt God.
\nProverbs 3:5-6 is what kept coming to mind:
\n“Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
\ndo not depend on your own understanding.
\nSeek his will in all you do,
\nand he will show you which path to take.” \u00a0<\/i>
\nGod was telling me how to float!
\nI just need to trust Him completely. \u00a0I don’t need to understand everything. \u00a0I just need to seek Him. \u00a0He will always show me the way.
\nIt’s true. \u00a0He doesn’t want us to do, He wants us to be. \u00a0Be who He created us to be. \u00a0Be where He wants us to be. \u00a0Be present. \u00a0Be real. \u00a0Be here. \u00a0Be you.
\nJust be!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201c…He stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.\u201d \u202d\u202dPsalm\u202c \u202d147:18\u202c \u202dNIV\u202c\u202c I did something yesterday that I haven’t done in a very long time. \u00a0In fact, I can’t remember the last time I did it. \u00a0I’m pretty sure it was as a child. I floated. I stretched my arms out wide on the waters… Continue reading Floating<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1600,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114\/revisions\/1600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}