Doggie Paddling

Originally blogged 04/05/06:

Remember when you were first starting to learn to swim? One of the first things you learned to do was to doggie paddle... you submerged yourself nearly completely, with just your head and shoulders barely above the water and you cupped your hands palm down at the water alternately, so that you stayed afloat and moved ever so slowly and slightly from point A to point B. It took a long time to get where you were going, and sometimes it didn't seem like you were moving at all, and it took a lot of effort to keep yourself from sinking down into the water again. You were breathless, you were tired, and you wondered if you'd ever get to where you wanted to go.

Last week my new boss asked me how things were going. I told her I was "doggie paddling", just trying to stay afloat and keep my head above water. Since then, I started thinking how much the concept of doggie paddling can relate to so many areas in life. I don't know about you, but there are some areas I have been doggie paddling in for a while now, desperately trying to get to my destination, feeling like I'm not moving or making any progress, barely able to keep my head above water, breathless, tired and wondering if I'll ever make it.

It's so easy to let life's distractions, worries and concerns overwhelm you to the point that you're struggling to keep yourself from going under. It's easy to make mistakes and it feels nearly impossible to fix them. Sometimes it can feel as if you are nearly drowning. You are stuck in the middle of the water, all alone, desperately trying to keep from sinking. And sometimes you can get so tired, so exhausted from all your effort to stay afloat, that you can't keep your head above the water, you can't quite catch your breath... it's as if you've reached the point of no return and there is no other way to go but down.

This is where I am so glad, so thankful, so blessed... because I have a God, a personal God, who is my best friend, my biggest encourager, my source of joy, my confidence and my strength. Every mistake that I make, He has forgiveness for. His strength makes up for my every weakness. Without Him I am nothing, and with Him I can do anything, be anything. When I've done all that I can do, I have used all my resources, I have doggie paddled until I can't doggie paddle anymore... He is there to rescue me. When I fail, He is there to lift me up and keep me from drowning. He breathes new life into me, and gives me strength to begin again. That's the kind of God that I have... the kind that will give everything He has to give me everything I need, whether I deserve it, or not.

This weekend is Easter weekend, a weekend that symbolizes the moment that God gave his only son to bear the weight of all our burdens, all our pains, all our grief’s and sorrows, all our failures. And as well it symbolizes Christ rising from the dead. His resurrection brings new life, renewal, healing, hope, forgiveness, peace and freedom.

And this is my prayer. I pray that this will be a weekend of renewal for you... where you are weak, you can find strength in Him; where you are wounded, you can find healing in Him; where you have failed, you can find forgiveness in Him. And if you are doggie paddling right now, I pray you will surrender to Him whatever it is you are holding onto and trying to make happen on your own. No matter what it is you've done, no matter what obstacle you're facing, He is there just waiting to lift you up and keep you from drowning. That's the kind of God He is...