Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Between May and October, I love to spend as many mornings as possible swimming laps in our neighborhood pool. Before beginning, I often have to relocate leaves, bugs, and the occasional pool toy.
And at least once a summer, I also encounter a frog. I’m not sure how it happens, but there he is, swimming frantically, trying to find an exit. Needless to say, I do not want to swim laps with an amphibian companion, so I’m more than happy to help extricate him. However, I’m a bit squeamish and don’t want to actually touch him, so I have to find another method of removal (our pool maintenance crew keeps the net, requiring me to improvise).
On this particular morning, I found a pool noodle lying nearby. I extended the foam flotation device towards the frog, thinking he would be smart enough to realize I was offering him a way out. No such luck. Instead of jumping on, he swam away from the very thing that could save him. Moving frantically in the opposite direction, banging into the side wall, thinking, if he just kept swimming, maybe he could save himself. How often do we do the same thing?
God offers us His wisdom through the Bible, Holy Spirit, and Christian counsel, but we keep swimming, thinking our solutions are better. We move away from the saving grace we are trying to find.
Sure, the frog could technically survive in the pool, just as we could continue making our own choices and trying to live life our way. But, if the frog would just surrender to the help I was willing to offer, he would have had to struggle less. He would have been able to proceed with life in the manner he was meant to be living – on land, not in a neighborhood pool.
I’m not sure why, at times, I forget about Jesus’ offer of the pool noodle. I guess, in those moments, I’m too busy figuring out my own version of the doggie paddle to remember the help I’ve been offered through the sacrifice of Jesus.
Lord, help me stop flailing in the water and take the rescue that is offered through the sacrifice of Jesus, my true and lasting salvation.