“Relax, and know that I am God." ~ Psalm
46:10
Emma sat on her swing, tightly
gripping the ropes. She imagined herself
on a circus trapeze entertaining the audience with all sorts of death defying
feats. But at 3 years old, her feet dangle
in mid air and the swing just twirled aimlessly. It looked so easy when she watched other
children.
Later, Emma noticed older children on the swing set. Nobody was pushing them, yet they swing even
higher. When one finishes she asks, “Can
you teach me how to swing?” He laughed,
“It’s easy. Just swing!” Embarrassed, she returned home, her bare feet avoiding
the white clovers that bumblebees sat on.
Each time Emma returned to the playground, memories
resurfaced. Oh, how she wished she could
learn to swing by herself. One night after
dinner, Emma looked at her father with adoring eyes and begged, “Daddy, will
you teach me how to swing?”
He grinned and replied tenderly, “Yes, little lady. I think it’s time you learned.” Back at the playground, Emma listened
intently to his simple instructions. “Hang
on tight and just push your feet forward, then back, forward-back, again and
again.” Soon she was gaining altitude. “The more you push, the easier it will be,
forward-back, forward-back,” he added.
She giggled, feeling the tickle in her tummy as she fell
backward then forward. Emma pumped her
legs until they ached, feeling a little dizzy but extremely proud of herself. She walked home hand-in-hand with her hero
and couldn’t wait to return.
Years passed quickly.
Now a teenager, evening remained her favorite swing-time as ribbons of
pink and orange clouds swirled against the setting sun. One such evening her Dad hugged her and said,
“Let’s go swing!” She eagerly accepted
the chance for his undivided attention.
He surprised her saying, “Relax, don’t pump. Let me push you tonight.” Quietly, he moved directly behind her. She couldn’t see him; but she could feel his gentle
hands on the top of her back. Swinging
never felt so enjoyable!
“Emma, your life’s journey will be like swinging,” he said
softly. “Sometimes problems will seem
too big to handle. Friends may not be
much help. They may even laugh at you when
you ask for help. God won’t – He’ll give
you the push you need. The more you
exercise your faith, the easier it will be to follow His directions. Hang on tight!”
Holy Father, like the ropes of a swing, You
are my lifeline. Push me to be more like
You. By relaxing and allowing You to
take over, I’ll reach heights that I never imagined on my own. Amen
