Getting Wet

“Elizabeth… come on, honey. Let’s get in the water. Let’s go… come on.” I can still hear my mom’s voice sweetly beckoning me to join her in the river. And just as vividly as I can hear her voice, I can remember holding onto my dad’s legs for dear life to avoid that water at all costs.

I’ve always disliked swimming in murky waters; I can’t stand the thought of submerging my body into freezing water that contains hints of who-knows-what in it (algae, fish, bugs, unidentifiable liquids… you name it). As far back as I can remember, I’ve tried my hardest to avoid even so much as wading through a large (or even small) body of water. Even now, at 19 years old, I wince at the invitation to get into a swimming pool.

Needless to say, when I found out it was Lake Day while at summer camp last week, I was more than happy to sit on the beach accompanying Melissa - one of the girls in my cabin who had a broken arm. Sure, I missed out on going down the water slide, kayaking around the lake, going on the blob (a big giant pillow-like inflatable that allows kids to launch other kids into the air before they hit the lake with a splash), and playing with my girls. But hey, I stayed dry and clean from that murky water.

Later that night, Sporx (the camp host) told a story that convicted me and changed my attitude for the rest of the week. He talked about an adventure he went on with a few buddies while hiking in the rainforest. Apparently, nobody really knew where they were headed until they ended up at the top of a giant waterfall. Once there, somebody decided it would be a good idea to spit over the edge and see how long it took before they heard it splash at the bottom… sure enough, it took a long time – long enough to make them want to back up. But before anyone could say anything, Waxer (one of the guys) spread his arms out like an eagle and took a giant leap. Sporx and his friends watched in horror as Waxer sped towards the bottom and hit the water full speed. After an agonizing and seemingly never-ending 10 seconds, Waxer’s head popped up and he let out a whoop – letting everyone know he’d just had the time of his life.

Sporx didn’t tell this story to encourage us to start jumping off waterfalls (although some of the kids took it that way), his point was to encourage us to let go of our fears and concerns, to let go of anything that was hindering us from doing what God asks us to do. In this story, Waxer let go of any concerns he may have had about drowning, hitting rocks at the bottom, or falling too fast. He took a risk, but he had the time of his life. Similarly, Sporx wanted the kids to see that a relationship with God is an adventure; yes, it will require taking risks, but living for Him will never disappoint and will forever bring Him glory.

Even though Sporx’s message was tailored for 5th and 6th graders, I took his message to heart. I kept that story in mind as I thought over my day. What were some concerns and fears I needed to let go of in order to follow Him? The lake was the first thing that came to mind. I realized that sitting on the side was only selfish – while I stayed clean and dry, my girls were missing out on quality/fun time with their counselor.

The next day, I let go of my silly concerns and was prepared to get wet when the camp took an unexpected detour to the pool. It didn’t take long before several kids joined forces to pull me into the water. Of course, I kicked and screamed and acted like it was the worst thing in the world they could do to me. But on the inside, I was having loads of fun and knew the kids were getting a kick out of my “struggle.” And… wouldn’t you know, the water wasn’t so cold after all.

So the next time we went to the lake, I let my girls know ahead of time that I would be getting in (just in case I chickened-out and needed their moral support to get me in). I started out slow by going kayaking with one of the girls (which doesn’t exactly count as getting in the lake since you only get wet if your partner lifts her paddle up too high and sprinkles water on you in the process). Shortly after that, all the counselors were challenged to an epic splash war against all the campers. Before I even realized what I was getting myself into, we all ran straight for the water where I was pushed, pulled, dunked, splashed, and completely saturated with lake water by 5th and 6th graders who were the same size as me, if not bigger. As it turns out, that splash war happened to be one of my favorite memories of the whole week as agreed by several of the girls in my cabin… and to think I almost missed out on it because I was too concerned about staying away from murky water.

Later, I was finally allowed to go on the blob (because apparently, counselors can’t blob kids and vice versa even though we’re the same size). As I waited for my partner to land on the other side of the inflatable and launch me into the air, I reminded myself to keep my mouth closed so I wouldn't bite my tongue and to hold my nose so I wouldn't inhale any water. But once I was in the air, I completely forgot about all of that as I heard at least half of the kids on the shoreline cheering for me... and I hadn't thought anybody was watching me! Hearing them cheer and be excited for me not only made me feel like some sort of famous person, but reminded me that releasing my silly concerns was something I was doing for the kids and, ultimately, for God.

As strange as it sounds, I think going swimming with my girls reminds me of cutting my hair... I didn’t want to do it at first, but once I committed, I was so glad I did and, looking back, I don't regret one moment of it. This is how I want to live my life for God – taking risks, but ultimately loving Him and doing it for His glory.