Bloggin Ain't Easy - The Wave Pool

It's been how long since my last post? Yeeesh....

Life happens fast. I should write that down somewhere and sell it to an insurance company to use as a slogan. BRILLIANT!

Seriously. The last month and a half has gone by terribly quick. I have a new job, my son is almost out of school for summer vacation. My wife is all over the place trying to keep things running smoothly. And my daughter....well, she's just stinky precious...I love you Babydoll.

The good news in all the chaos - God is still God!

Breeann and I took the kids to the wave pool this past saturday and I got more than I bargained for at $3.00 a person admission.

When I first mentioned the idea, the kids could care less. When we got there, the pool was all they could think about. Before I finished rubbing in the last bit of sunscreen on Aiden, he was chest deep in the calm waters. I quickly followed behind. To our surprise, he made himself quite at home in the pool without floaties. He jumped about, splashed and enjoyed the stillness; daddy not far behind. See even though the waters were calm at the moment, I knew it was just a matter of time before the chaos broke loose. And that's when it happened. The bell rang loud, the kids all screamed with glee, and Aiden freaked. Before he could make it to where I was, the first wave splashed hard against his back. Then another. This time his head went under the water. I quickly and calmly grabbed him and pulled him up to my chest. He caught his breath and it took just a few minutes for him to recover and build his confidence up enough to get back in.

But once he did, it was back to fun times. The process started with him holding my hand, and I took delight in his trusting me. It was awesome to know he needed me that close. But there was another side of me at work. I also desired to see him venture out further on his own but still mindful of my being close. Eventually, he did. I felt honored to see him bold and fearless in both calm and crashing waves. I remained close but took joy in seeing him having so much fun in the water. Every time that bell rang, he would look to me and make sure I was close and then off he went. There were times however that he would run out into the water and lose sight of where I was. Those were the most dangerous moments for him regardless as to whether he knew it or not. So I would stay in the back ground but always mindful of where he was and his state of safety. Breeann would say to me, "he's getting pretty far out there." and I'd say, "yup" but I wouldn't get any closer or let him know I was there. Then when the waves came crashing in, he would look frantically for me and I was right there. Obviously, I would never let him drown but he needed to figure out through the chaotic movement of the waters that he should always be mindful of just how close or how far he had gotten from me. I loved watching him make the most of his time in the water without me having to hold his hand, but I also wanted him to remember that he needed me close by.

No matter how chaotic things get, God is right there with us. Standing behind us watching, loving, enjoying who we are becoming because we have acknowledged him as our Lord and Savior. God knows that at anytime, the waves of life are going to begin crashing in and He allows us to remain in the water to endure thus allowing his Spirit to produce faith by reminding us that no matter how rough it gets, He is close by ready to pluck us from the water before we drown. The more experiences with the hardships of life we have, the more we realize how weak we are. And the weaker that we can admit we are, the more room we can give God to work in and through us. God loves us and wants the best for us even if our circumstances scare us, hurt us, or kill us. It doesn't matter the outcome. God is in control. He is the author and the finisher of our faith. He never starts on a negative and he never ends on a negative. We must trust Him. He's our daddy in the water, always smiling when we splash around, always ready to save us when we're in over our heads, and always desiring that we remember and acknowledge just how much we need Him there with us and in us.

I truly love my God. Lord, you are the best father anyone could ever know. I don't want another day here in the water to go by without having told you just how much I love you. And even then, my love for you is nothing compared to your love for me.

Ok...I gotta back into the water now!!!