I was a little girl when it happened but I still remember it. I was standing in the water near the edge of the bank at Big Bear Lake. I was being very careful. Tule blades were in close proximity and the mud was sticky, slippery around my feet.
Falling in the Water
I held still and smiled at my mama. Her sturdy brownie camera required that she look down into it, not at the subject. I was wearing a cute little summer outfit that my mother had made me; a shorty polka-dot top that tied at the mid-drift and had cutesy matching short shorts. I remember that I liked it and that it matched my sisters’ outfits, like most of the clothing that my mother sewed for us.
Mother wanted to take individual pictures of us. My big sister got her picture taken standing in the water, my next oldest sister waded in for her turn, and then me. I was standing there smiling. Mother snapped the picture (The picture is the one Mother took that day). The next thing I knew I was slipping down into the water. The water was murky, and I was looking up through the water. I could see the daylight above me like a film of blurry filtering rays. I struggled in the water, submerged below its surface, my feet sliding around in the mud as I flailed and tried to find my way up.
Though I was only three or four at the time, I remember that feeling of helplessness; the scariness, what is was like to not find my way out, even though I was really trying. What must have been only a moment or two, seemed to last a long time. Then my mother swooped in, grabbed me, and lifted me out of the water. I sputtered. My sisters were scared and excitedly chattering. My little brother would be the next to get his picture. Life went on.
Struggling in Life
“I’m not going to make it!” Just the other day the memory of that experience returned. I thought of how it felt to be submerged under water. The helplessness and panic, and the lack of progress. I remembered my own spiritual struggles, the desperation that came when the going got harder rather than easier which brought on the memory of that little girl, who was me, flailing in the water but not quite able to make it to the surface on her own.
That is how it feels, I thought. The struggle, the path to God and His healing grace has a similarity to that feeling of desperation. You’re getting close but not quite there, trying and trying to make it to the surface, to the strong life that we see others living and wish for ourselves. The struggle often consumes the energy and the will, and we don’t think we are going to make it. Panic ensues, and doubt. Is it possible?
God to the Rescue
Then God sweeps in. He rescues you. He lifts you out. He comforts you. Dries you off. Calms your fears. Sets you on stable ground. You sigh. It is safe and all is well. Relief comes in. The danger of succumbing to fear is gone. You know you are now safe. He is with you. It was hard, though, when you were slipping and sliding all over the place without making much progress that you could see.
You couldn’t see what is always true. God loves you. He is here with you, ready to jump in and save you during the critical moments. It is almost as if He is waiting for you to know you need Him, that you are not going to make it on your own. The thing has become impossible. When God enters the conversation in a way that you can see, you then realize that you can quit fighting the terror.
We can lean on God’s everlasting arms. We can trust Him to take care of us. We are safe and secure. His arms won’t ever let us go. We know without a doubt, we are now safe on the shore. The struggle is diminishing. Spiritual healing and health is being accessed. We are being set free from our chains.
Are you that little child in a big person’s body, coping but discouraged, weary and depleted, fearful but trying to trust?
For What Purpose
The struggle is one of many dimensions. You are learning to trust, to let go, to forgive, to heal, and it is also a seeking to find, looking for answers, and yielding to God the hidden things as they are revealed. The struggle is multiplied by your many unmet needs, unhealed hurts, and unresolved issues that complicate your history and your experiences.
God offers a lifesaver. The Life-Saver is His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. A process of restoring you to spiritual health and well-being begins as you turn your life to God and His intervention. This may be slow or fast depending on several factors such as your openness and willingness to join in the cleansing and healing that Christ offers. The depth of wounds vary. Where there is much hurt, the healing journey is complicated and can need outside counsel by competent godly therapists.
But it is possible. You can be set free of the hurts of the past and pains of the present through a yielding to God and a seeking of His truth. Some whom have received this blessing of healing in their emotions, speak of a warmth that flowed as God’s presence touched their inner brokenness. It happened to me.
Trust and Believe: God waits for us to give up doing life our way to begin doing it His way. The conversation starts when we give up trying to fix ourselves. When we say, “I can’t do this anymore.” Jesus says, “But I can.” And He does.
*A revision of a post from April 10, 2014
