Sink or Swim.

So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36

I was a water baby. Some of my best summer days were spent making our way up the hill in a blue mini van to swimming lessons. There was nothing like a day spent in the water soaking up the sun. I remember my colorful one pieces and the smell of chlorine. And even as I lather on my sunscreen now, I'm taken back there a little! 

I love the water. There's nothing like that chill the moment you jump in and the H2O steals your breath. And as I watch my three year old cousin learn to swim, I'm reminded of the excitement and adventure that comes with the water! In a matter of weeks he went from swimming small distances, to doing torpedo jumps, diving for rings, and swimming the entire length of the pool. It all happens so fast once you dive in. You go from splashing to swimming like Nemo in what seems like only minutes. Because, the truth is, when you get in the water there's really two options; you sink or swim. 

And so I've come to love the days I spend in the water swimming away like the little mermaid. I'd argue, as I back floated my way through 100 degree June days, that water makes us free. In water we are nearly weightless. And so we discover this piece of ourselves we did know before! We can jump and twirl and dive without ever having to fall on the ground. And if you're brave enough to mess up the hair do, and go head under, what a sense of freedom from the world. That lawn mower that was growling in the neighbor's backyard suddenly fades to a gentle and soothing hum. Even the most obnoxious sounds take on a melody. 

There's nothing in the world quite like those summer moments. And so even now, I soak them in! 

And I'm reminded that the freedom I know there in the middle of my underwater somersault, is nothing compared to the freedom God gives us every day. Can we not shut out the lies of the world, the noise, the hesitation, the doubt, if we just fully immerse ourselves in Him? Are we not free of limits and able to go further and deeper then we ever thought we could with Him by our side? Is His love not around us the same way water surrounds every inch of you as you glide across the pool? It is. His love, His mercy, and His grace are what give us the moments in our lives of true freedom. And just like a three year old learning to swim for the first time, we too are in awe, maybe a little scared, but capable

of far more adventure and goodness than we know! 

  

So as I head off to pool parties, and handstand and butterfly my way through summer, I'm reminded of the joy I know in the water. It's a joy that brings me back to my childhood and reminds me that I am limitless. Perhaps, not only in the deep end of a pool, but in every aspect of my life! 

I have a choice. I can sink or swim.