Saturday, June 4, 2011

Safe in His Arms

This past week was spent at the beach in Destin, Florida. I spent much time in the sun, covered with tanning lotion. Thursday afternoon I was spending some time alone at the pool by the condo. I had been listening to worship, reading my Bible, and tanning. When I couldn't take the heat any longer, I retreated to the pool to cool off. There was a Mom and her little girl there swimming. The girl couldn't have been more than seven years old. She could swim well, but only when her mother was near by. Her mom said "Let's see you swim across the pool." The girl let go of the wall and began to swim across the open water. The water was only 4 foot deep where she was. Half way across the pool the little girl got tired and scared. She whimpered and fought to swim to the stairs where she could touch even though her mother was right beside her and all she had to do was reach her hand out and her mom would grab her. The loving mother grabbed her frantic daughter anyway and pulled her in.
I saw something beautiful in this moment. Something that I have seen in my life many times.
How often do we respond to the call of God and step out in faith only to get tired or frightened and struggle back to where we can touch. We swim for shore rather into the arms of our Father God. He can hold us safely. He won't let us drown. But still, we fight to swim to shore rather than swimming to His arms. Do we not trust that he can hold us? Do we fear that he will let us go. Do we think that he will be mad or disappointed that we can swim across on our own?
God knows that the water is deep. He knows that we can get tired. But He will never call us to go somewhere that he won't go with us. He will never tell us to do something that will harm us. He isn't disappointed when we call to him for help. He wants us to. He doesn't expect us to do it on our own. He wants to help up. He wants to hold us. He wants to guide us.
So why do we continue to swim to where we can touch when he has called us out to the deep with him? If we can touch, we don't need him. He wants us to go to the deep with Him so that we will cling to him.
God, help me to learn to cling to you alone.