15th October 2013

My son did a swim school on the holidays. Unluckily for him, no one else enrolled, which meant that he couldn’t escape the coach’s eye, and was rarely given a moment’s reprieve. But luckily for him, the coach was competent and capable, an ex-Olympian by the name of Craig Stevens.  I listened in for some tips, and this one came during the backstroke session: “The further your head is back, the more relaxed you are, and the further you reach.”  By that he meant that if your head is up, your hips and legs are down, creating more drag, and shortening the backward reach of your arms. It was a good tip, and something I thought that even a preacher could use.

When Moses was trying to lead the people from the starting blocks in Egypt to the end of the pool, there was this constant head up, looking back, drag story. Even though the dive off the blocks had been miraculous, and executed without swallowing a drop of Red Sea pool water, they kept wanting to look back to the bricks and blocks of Egypt. But the coach told them to keep their heads back, look up, and kick hard until they got to the promised land. The lesson of course applies to all of us who are headed in that same direction. Head back. Look up. Draw down heaven’s strength. Kick hard. Reach long. Make progress. And don’t worry if you bump your head on the end of the pool. For the One who had his back stroked will be there, and will reach down his strong arm and lift us out.

DM 8^th Oct 2013