Simplicity

Summer is winding down and this past weekend was one of our last play days with all the kids in the lake for this season. The waters will cool down I suspect before we get them all back.   So we were off for a boat ride and then a boat float.  We park the boat in the cove and anchor it and then everybody jumps in and just floats around.  Jennifer had forgotten to bring baby Molly's puddle jumper, a large ring that connects around her waist and then has two arm bands that are connected it for excellent flotation, so we had gone off on a wild goose chase on Sat morning searching for one but to no avail.  We ended up buying what could have been the last of summer inventory which we happened to find at a random swimming pool store; a rubber swim ring covered in a vested top.It was a perfect substitute as Molly adapted quite quickly and was right there swimming independently with the rest of the gang. The kids are all required to keep their life jackets on and while some of us adults were casually sitting on ours, others were treading water for exercise. 

As I sat back and just took the whole thing in, it occurred to me that this was a scene that could very well have been from the olden days.  The simplicity of no fancy toys, just laughing, playing,  splashing, racing, and jumping off the boat and back again. It was about hanging out together as a family.  Society has pushed us into the hurry up, electronic age where there is little time to just sit back and appreciate the simplicity of  just being together without a moving agenda. There is something that just springboards in my heart to hear the laughter of children and the joy filtered through their play. Too often we sidestep simplicity and get wrapped up in the tangles of over scheduled agendas.

I think about Christ and the short time he was on this earth. He was never entangled.  He went about His business in a simplified, composed manner.  He paid attention to the little things, and appreciated the times when people were reverent and eager to hear his stories. He hung out with people and though he knew their hearts, he took time to allow them to connect with His.  How many times in the day do we take time to hang out with Jesus.  To simplify our thoughts, and release our burdens, and bask in the pure joy of having Christ as not only a friend and confidant but as an all encompassing provider and eternal lifeline.  

Just as we were all floating in the waters, we have been given an opportunity to float within God's kingdom.  He has given us a lifejacket to wear that will keep us from drowning in our own troubles.  His grace and love are factors of our buoyancy that triggers our survival in the midst of a culture that has generated undertows pulling us in a direction contrary to God ordained living. God's ways are simple, and His truth is the springboard from where all His blessings flow. 

There are times in our life when the waters are calm, life is simple, and God's life jacket is merely a useable provision, but there are other times when the waves of controversy, despair, grief  and anxiousness are so overwhelmingly powerful that survival is often times in question. We have to tighten our jacket belts, and remember that as we hold tight to God, He too is holding tight to us. When we allow God to wrap us up in His life jacket, we might be forced to ride the waves but we will be guaranteed to stay afloat, and keep our heads above water. We might be pushed into a new direction that he has declared, but the waves will soon settle and we will once again be at peace in the simplicity and calmness of His ordained purpose, and once again be able to float in His buoyant grace. 

It is important to keep God's jacket of survival with us at all times; for calm waters without warning may turn into a swirling undercurrent, having the potential to pull us under. It is in the simplicity of our faith and our trust in God that we will find peace. For our faith gives us a steadfast confidence and belief that God is with us always, and He will override our fear and settle the raging waves of adversity.  May you loosen the jacket buckles on calm days and bask in God's goodness, and tighten the buckles on days of unrest  and always trust in His sovereignty. But most of all praise God at all times; for his glory never fades, and His light always shines.  

I chose the following verse because I can visually picture a life jacket wrapped around me, and being fastened into it.  (If I remain in Him) 

John 15:7

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.        

Dear Lord, Thank you that you are there when we are resting in calm waters and you are there when the winds begin to blow and the waves of adversity begin to gain momentum. In all kinds of water, would you help us to simply trust that you are in control and spark within us the faith to be confident in knowing that as we hold onto to you, you hold tight to us.  Amen 

Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!