May
23
2017

Floaties and Futility

Posted in Salvation | Leave a comment

I really do not remember all the ins and outs of learning to swim.
I remember the rules.
I remember the ropes that marked off the shallow water from the deep end.
I remember the baby pool.

As children got older, the name of that pool was an embarrassment.
No one wanted to go into the baby pool.
The swim club soon renamed it the wading pool.
That was much better.

Lifeguards made sure that you stayed where you were able to stand.
Lifeguards blew the whistle if you ventured beyond your allowed limits.
Only after passing a swimming test in the deep end did you get the prized triangle.
The prized triangle needed to be sewn onto your bathing suit below one hip or the other.

That prized triangle was your key.
That triangle was a rite of passage.
That triangle was only attained after going to swimming lessons.
That triangle signified that you were comfortable and capable in deep water.

When I had children, there were new things that made being in the water a bit safer.
Floaties, they were called.
They were inflatable devices that slid up a child’s arm and enabled them to float.
A child could not keep their arms by their side while wearing the floaties.

The floaties gave another level of protection for the child.
However, if a child had thin arms, the floaties could easily slide down.
Sometimes they were more of a nuisance than a blessing.
Soon, swim vests became available.

Swim vests kept the arms free yet offered protection.
Usually the swim vests were printed with a picture of a favorite character.
Children never minded wearing them.
They outgrew them before they ever wore out.

Long foam pool noodles became popular.
They could be twisted around you.
They could be held out in front to help you float.
They were banned from the pool because too often they became makeshift swords.

Flotation devices offered protection but no guarantees.
Parents still had to be mindful of their children while they played in the water.
Floaties, swim vests, and pool noodles could never replace a watchful eye.
These things were meant to assist but never take the place of learning how to swim on your own.

I remember the arm floaties in particular.
If a child came out of the water to have a snack, the floaties would have to come off.
It was virtually impossible to bring any food to your mouth while wearing them.
When it was time to put the floaties back on, it was difficult if the skin was wet or sweaty.

Much like the name, baby pool, arm floaties and swim vests became “babyish” after a while.
The floaties were a good motivator.
If a child did not want to wear a flotation device, the child had to learn to swim.
It was an incentive to learn the skills needed to be in the water safely.

I saw a funny video clip of a child wearing arm floaties.
All my memories of my children wearing them came flooding back.
After watching it, I found myself thinking one thing.
Isn’t that the way life is?

Sometimes the things we want the most are just out of reach.
We try without success to get whatever it is we want so desperately.
We try and try to do it on our own.
Something is hindering us; we get frustrated.

The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.  All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.  I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!  I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. (Ecclesiastes 1:1-14)

Solomon, King David’s son, was the wisest man that ever lived.
He had everything and denied himself nothing.
However, Solomon saw the futility in his life.
He claimed that everything was meaningless under the sun.

Under the sun, it is easy to come to that conclusion.
Like the little boy in the arm floaties, everything seems just outside your grasp.
You try and try to do things on your own without success.
Your work seems futile.

The arm just cannot reach your mouth.
The cookie falls on the ground.
You are almost there but not quite.
Everything seems hopeless.

Under the S-U-N that is a fair assumption.
However, there is hope.
Life must be lived under the S-O-N.
Only in Jesus, God’s Son, is there hope; all futility is gone.

Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save nor his ear too dull to hear. (Isaiah 59:1)

God’s arm is long enough.
God is mighty and powerful; nothing is too difficult for Him.
We can try and try to do the impossible on our own and experience futility.
Or we can lean on the only One whose arm is long enough to save us.

The choice is clear.

 

Whispers of His Movement and Whispers in Verse books are now available in paperback and e-book!

http://www.whispersofhismovement.com/book/

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