Good morning
to all. I am so honored and privileged to have the opportunity to speak at
Church on the Hooch. As a resident of Troup County, and more specifically, a
lake resident, it brings me great joy to combine a number of the things I love…
family, friends, worship, our God and the lake.
For many
years, the lake has been a place of refuge for us. It has been a place to
escape the troubles and headaches of the everyday world. Before we purchased a
home on the water, we would spend most of our weekends, and even some weekdays
hauling the boat to the lake. Sometimes we would camp overnight, other times,
just a day trip. No matter how much or how little time spent, it was time well
spent. So many memories have been made on these waters which is why I am so
happy to be standing here today on its bank to share some time with you.
Those of you
who know me probably know my love of watersports, skiing particularly. If you
ski, you know this is not an easy sport for many to pick up, especially as an
adult as I did. What you may not know is that I can barely swim. I can imagine
that seems odd for one who loves the water so much. Of course, one should
always have a life vest on when participating in watersports so I have never
worried too much when slipping into the water with rope in hand. Where my
abilities are lacking, the vest is there to preserve and protect. Isn’t our God
like that?
There are many occasions in our lives where we face difficulty or uncertainty, and if left to our own abilities or skill, we would sink…much like me without my vest on. However, God does not ever intend for us to pass thru these troubled waters without Him. In fact, He promises to be with us.
There are many occasions in our lives where we face difficulty or uncertainty, and if left to our own abilities or skill, we would sink…much like me without my vest on. However, God does not ever intend for us to pass thru these troubled waters without Him. In fact, He promises to be with us.
Isaiah 43:2-3
New International Version (NIV)
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
Those waters can be any number of situations or circumstances. Some can be of our own doing or others completely out of our control. Some are just milestones in life to be expected though not always welcomed. I am experiencing one of those milestones these days. My three children, who are now adults, will be leaving home this fall for colleges in three separate cities. For the last 21 years, I have been a full time mom. This fall, that changes. While I am well aware I will not stop being their mom, my role will change. I will not be physically present in their daily lives. This has been a tough realization for me. It is definitely a situation of unchartered waters for me. However, God promised in those verses I just read that He would be with me. For that to happen, I have to let Him wrap me in His arms, much like that vest I mentioned earlier. Recently, I got ready to take a ski run, and in my excitement and haste of strapping on the ski, I slipped off the platform into the very chilly water, with rope in hand, but no vest. I panicked as I began sinking. As I was finally able to gasp out that I didn’t have my vest, mind you the cold water was literally breath-taking, James grabbed the rope to pull me back to the boat as I rolled over on my back. Still panicky, I instructed him to pull faster. Had he listened to me and pulled any faster, my head would have been submerged. As he steadily pulled me in, I could hear his voice telling me that I was fine and all is ok. Isn’t it like that with our relationship with God? So often we jump into a situation with excitement and haste, that we don’t fully prepare ourselves, or include God in our plans. We go in without our vest, our lifesaver. When we find ourselves in troubled waters, we must reach out to Him, hold on to the rope, relax, and trust, and allow Him to pull us to safety. He will pull us to safety and all the while, will tell us we are fine and all is ok. We will want Him to pull faster. We want things to happen or to be fixed on our timetable, not His. When we push it, we will undoubtedly sink.
As we sang this morning in our opening song- Oceans:
You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep my faith will stand
And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine
Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sov’reign hand will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You’ve never failed and You won’t start now
In order to be successful in skiing,
in addition to the vest, I have to follow a few more steps. For years I
attempted to ski, but was unsuccessful. I tried the same thing over and over,
getting the same results. I would put my best foot forward (strong foot that
is), I would put that ski out in front, feel the rope get tight, yell hit it,
and pull on that handle while trying to stand up. In a sense, I was trying to
do all of the work. Time after time, I would do this ensuring failure each
time. I finally gave up and resolved that I just couldn’t do it. I stuck to two
skis which didn’t require as much effort or skill. It wasn’t until years later,
I was encouraged to try again, but this time with a different approach. Strap
on the ski, but this time, put that strong foot in the back to ground or plant
me in a sense. Curl up in a ball with my arms and ski in front of me. When I
feel the rope get tight and yell hit it, let the boat pull me. Don’t fight the
pull. Don’t pull against it. Go with it.
Our walk with the Lord should follow that model. We must plant ourselves in His Word, be grounded in His way, not our way. Rather than force ourselves or try to make something happen, we must allow Him to pull us through. We have to hold on and let Him. And He will, much like that Nautique pulls me up out of those sometimes very chilly waters. Will we hit bumpy or rough waters? Absolutely, but it will make us appreciate those instances when we can experience the smooth water, or glass as we call it. Will we fall sometimes? Most definitely. Will it hurt? Some worse than others. However, very often, we hold on, get pulled up, and have the best run we have had in a while. We finish the task at hand, and throw our hands up in victory. I actually have a few pics of me in that pose. It is such an amazing feeling when we overcome the hard part and can reap the rewards.
That is what God wants for us today.
He wants us to put Him on like a vest over our heart, hold on to Him like that
handle, and allow Him to lead us thru the waters like that boat.
If you have been struggling with an
issue or have a concern weighing you down, causing you to sink in the water,
please know you do not have to go at it alone. God is with you always, ready to
pull you through it. He may send people your way to help, like James who pulled
me out of the water, or my friends the Goodings who gave me a fresh way to
tackle skiing, or my friend Carol in Brooks, GA who gave me just the right
words of encouragement at the right time when facing the impending Empty Nest,
just to name a few.
I don’t always follow these words,
but when I do, God shows up and He always fulfills His promise.
When you pass
through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
