Do You Know How To Float?

“We’re not moving to the beach, right?” My husband joked. “Why are you taking so many floaties? “

We rearranged the trunk for the tenth time.

“You know the water is rough this time of year, and it makes me nervous,” I said.

“We’ll have to wait for them to learn how to swim perfectly. My mom always tells me how my grandmother almost drowned in the ocean when she was young. The waves were so strong she could hardly breath.”

“So, what happened?” he asked.

“She floated on her back until a fisherman rescued her.”

“I guess we need to teach the children how to float then!’ he said.

I searched online for a crash course.

Swimoutlet.com mentions three key elements (this is my paraphrased version):

• Relax– Believe it or not, relaxing is key to floating.
• Move– Small movements of the hands will help keep your mouth and nose out of the water and to keep breathing naturally.

Engage abdominal muscles to lift your lower body toward the surface.

             Kick very gently in alternating movements to force your legs to the surface and keep you balanced.

• Enjoy-Once you are floating enjoy the feeling of the water holding you up and your body letting go of any pressure.

“It’s interesting,” I commented, “that floating requires a person to be active and passive at the same time.”

This reminded me of a story in the Bible that seemed to demand the same.

In 2 Chronicles 20 King Jehoshaphat was threatened by a multitude of enemies.

³ Jehoshaphat was frightened, so he determined to seek the Lord

The Lord responded: “Be not afraid or distressed by reason of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

¹⁶ Go down against them tomorrow ¹⁷ You won’t even need to fight in this battle!; Just take your positions… stand still, and watch how the Lord will deliver you!

We all experience moments when we battle storms in life. It may be in the form of a doctor’s diagnosis, financial trouble, divorce papers or a rebellious child. But instead of drowning in fear, anxiety, negativity or depression, the Lord wants us to trust in Him.

Just like floating, trusting in the Lord requires us to:

• Relax– Surrender it all to the Lord believing that He’s in control and He is fighting the battle on our behalf.

             ¹⁵ “Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

• Move– We go to the battlefield and take our positions by praying, worshipping and thanking Him regardless of how bad our circumstances or the problems are.

                 20 So they got up early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa.  “Praise and give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and lovingkindness endure forever.”

• Enjoy– We can rest in hopeful expectation, knowing that the Lord is Faithful, His promises are true, He is never too late or too early and He will never leave us. We have to choose to believe that His plans for us are full of love, to give us hope and a future.

²² When they began singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes against the sons of Ammon,        Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were struck down [in defeat] … ²³ …they helped to destroy one another.

Who wants to go first?” I asked the next morning.

My middle daughter volunteered.

“Lay still and relax your body. Also move your arms a little bit to stay afloat,” I instructed.

She looked at me quizzically.

“I know it sounds confusing,” I said, “But I promise you it works!”

Thankfully by the end of the day all three of our children could float, and I could relax the rest of the trip.

And next time you are threatened by a multitude of problems, try floating…God’s way.