At the Red Cross swimming lessons as a child, I could do all the things but float. The instructor would say “just relax” and all the other children would float to the surface.
I sank.
As I grew, this seemed to be life itself. Other people seem to float on the surface, warmed by the sun. Me, I can see the light. If I dog paddle hard enough, I can break the surface. Relax and I float back down to the darkness.
There are friends in the darkness , there is beauty there that the surface floaters will never see. But there are also monsters. Your monsters are not the same as mine. Maybe they are sharks of circumstances, maybe an eel of chemistry, maybe forces even darker.
Just as the monsters are personal, so are the things that keep them at bay. Jesus is always the source of true joy. Always. You might also need therapy or running in the sunshine or a prescription to keep from sinking into the depths and forgetting to look up.
We are designed to be in relationship, with God and with each other. If I see you sinking down, I will swim over. Maybe I can help to fight your monster, maybe I can just hold your hand. Please do the same for me. We are not created to fight alone. The ocean is too heavy and the monsters too persistent.
I sank.
As I grew, this seemed to be life itself. Other people seem to float on the surface, warmed by the sun. Me, I can see the light. If I dog paddle hard enough, I can break the surface. Relax and I float back down to the darkness.
There are friends in the darkness , there is beauty there that the surface floaters will never see. But there are also monsters. Your monsters are not the same as mine. Maybe they are sharks of circumstances, maybe an eel of chemistry, maybe forces even darker.
Just as the monsters are personal, so are the things that keep them at bay. Jesus is always the source of true joy. Always. You might also need therapy or running in the sunshine or a prescription to keep from sinking into the depths and forgetting to look up. We are designed to be in relationship, with God and with each other. If I see you sinking down, I will swim over. Maybe I can help to fight your monster, maybe I can just hold your hand. Please do the same for me. We are not created to fight alone. The ocean is too heavy and the monsters too persistent.
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