I’ve been out of the office for over a week and a half. We had a holiday weekend plus I taught a
mini-mester class at DBU. When I came
back to the office, most people commented on my tan. It’s my normal beginning of the summer tan
and most people who have known me for longer than a couple years know I tan
easily.
It feels so good to be back in the pool. Last summer, we hardly used to the pool. Kelsey was so sick she couldn’t kick hard
enough to keep her head above water.
Kelsey swims like a fish and dives beautifully. But not last summer. So, it just didn’t feel right for me to swim
while she layed inside on the couch in pain.
Call it a bit of survivor’s guilt, or whatever, but it just felt so
unfair for me to be in the pool and for Kelsey not to be able to. Yes, she could lay on a float in the pool but
that is like suggesting to a gymnast to be satisfied and have fun with just
doing somersaults on the floor mat.
This is a new year!
Kelsey is doing so much better and she is enjoying the pool again. Me too.
I’ve been spending more time swimming laps. One mile is about thirty minutes of laps in
my pool. I’m up to twenty five
minutes. I’ve never done well in this
kind of exercise because I get bored mentally and then the time crawls by so
slowly that I always end up quitting.
This time is different, though. I’m
spending this time simply praying and praising God. Taking my cue from the Psalms, I praise God
by naming His qualities.
I habit I started without much conscious thought is to pray
first and praise second. It feels so
right in that order for a couple of reasons.
First, this way I land on the positive.
While I fully acknowledge that petition prayers are a positive thing, I
also know that, for me, they are largely the reminders of what aren’t great right
now. But to name God’s qualities and
characteristics…wow … what a boost! It
reminds me who is in control and how I know He is in control. It reminds me that God can and does handle my
prayers. It reminds me that He loves me
and sees me. It reminds me that I am
important to God. Praising God in this
way keeps God in His place and me in mine.
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