We teach our children to swim.
In the hope they might survive.
When winds, and storm and the waves
And the currents of the ocean
Pull them under
But the Christian calling is even greater
To swim against a current all their lives
To swim and not make ground
Tired muscles draw them deeper into the water
Their mouths gasp for breath
As the fishes and sharks circle
They say there is a promise of salvation
A branch or a hand extended
But sometimes the swim is long and hard
And the currents swirl
You hear the crashes against the rocks
And an end can seem so soon.
And sometimes they tell you
Don't worry. You are strong.
Strength will be provided for you to carry on
Or even pull through
But your tiredness consumes you
And your mind
Some minds are stronger than others
But some tear and their tears and lost in the waters
Cos the river is unforgiving
And lives are easily forgotten
When oh Lord
They say you will call
And you shall provide all that we need to pull through
You see other swimmers perish
And some beat down other swimmers to get ahead
And yet your promise of
Tremendous strength
Hope and salvation
Is waiting. And waiting.
How many years in the current
And perhaps when we ended the life on the rocks
Or from heart failure
Or from thirsty
Or from infection
That we may look back
And blame ourselves for swimming against the current
When others use boats
And some just stop swimming
And go the other way
To the floodplains
Where things are rich
And cities are built
With gold and glimmering shimmer
How do we not doubt
And not feel forsaken
How do we tell our children to do the same
To do things harder
And harder and harder
And not give up
And keep going
Even when many others are going in the other direction
When they see our weariness
And they see our shame
They see our failures
And the pain
All we can do
Sometimes
Is to close our eyes
And float
Our head hit the rocks
And bleed
And our blood reddens the waters
Till our life in the river ends
And our hope brought
To where it always belongs
This is the lament
Of the man in the river
And the child who is waiting to swim
That pain shall be your story
If Jesus you let lead
Trust not the river
For it may bring you to doom
The current is not of Him
But from heaven He watches
Your swim.
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