Sometimes in life we wade into the waves and wrestle our way into the deeper depths of the ocean. It is not easy—the water is cold, the waves are large. Sometimes they catch us by surprise and take our breath away. Life can be like that. We wade through issues, we slowly acclimate to temperatures, we find our relief within the forces of nature, the forces of discomfort.
In recent times, many dear friends have tried to negotiate some of life’s more tumultuous times. They are tenuous as they step into the pounding waves of life because they fear the current will pull them under. I hear this and I feel their troubles. It is daunting. It reminds me of the time that I heard a sermon from an old family friend tell how he would slowly work through the small waves, keeping his arms raised above the currents, trying to become accustom to the environment of the ocean before he dove in. But then he said, after years of doing this same routine, he changed up his approach. He had wrestled so long with trying to make friends with the unknown, thinking somehow it would be easier on him. What he found was that the calm waters appeared much sooner if he stopped the wrestling and dove right in.
Life can be like that…we have our struggles and we think if we wade through them slowly, if we wrestle them with a little apprehension, we will get through a little less scathed. And, that may be true some of the time. But sometimes, we need to stop wrestling with the waves and dive right in…finding the calmer waters that await us.
2 comments
Nancy Micca says:
May 25, 2013 at 8:04 am (UTC -4 )
Have I mentioned lately how awesome you are? It’s true.
Ann says:
May 25, 2013 at 8:59 am (UTC -4 )
You are so kind. Hope all is well.
–A