Learning How To “Float” In Joy
By Emily M., Volunteer in Uruguay
Recently, we took 10 girls from the neighborhood for a day outing at the house of a friend, John, who has a pool. The girls loved the pool!
Tiana loved to jump into the water. The water was shallow enough that she could touch, yet each time she jumped in, her head went under water and she came out with her arms waving silently and gasping for breath. As often as I could I would go to her to answer her silent plea for support. She would cling to me, smiling and gasping for breath, ready to jump in again. This is how God treats me, us! He also delights to show us love, to hold us when we jump in over our head.
Nicki wanted to learn to float. I put my hand under her back to support her as she lay in the water. She was extremely nervous and clung to my arm. As I’m sure you know, in order to float well, one has to be relaxed. To try and help her to relax I repeated again and again “I am here. It’s okay. I am here ” In that moment I thought of how my daddy taught me to float, repeating the same words – I am here; it’s okay. I also thought of how our Father in heaven so often repeats these words to me, to us. I knew that if Nicki relaxed, she could float well. Our Father in heaven knows that if we trust Him, we can “float” in the hope and joy of His good plan.
As I learn to “float” in the joy of God’s plan and providence, He continues to show me His goodness. Twice now I have taken the wrong bus on my day of rest. One time was a simple fix of getting off at a certain stop and waiting for the next bus. The other time, I was heading in the wrong direction and had missed the bus I needed. When I realized I was on the wrong bus, I got off right away. I wasn’t sure what to do. As I tried to think of what to do or who to call, a bus pulled up. It was exactly the bus I needed! I was sure I had missed it, but there it was on front of me with the door wide open to receive me. I got on and the bus took me right to my house. What a gift from the Lord! He is always there when we are at our wit’s end, waiting with the door wide open for us.