Tag: God’s grace

Wild swimming- even getting ready is not so easy!

Getting dressed!

The good weather recently has brought me back to wild swimming. I still prefer a wetsuit for this, as the water in the loch can still be quite chilly.

For my first swim of the year, I got my wetsuit out. The first thing I noticed was that it was inside out! ( you can tell already I am not an expert). So I pulled it the right way round, and that helped.

Then I was trying to get into it. This was another slight problem. I got my first leg in ok, but the second was more problematic. It didn’t seem to fit very well, and there didn’t seem much ‘ give’. I thought I must have put on some weight, and was so disappointed at my struggles. It just didn’t look right.

Then I had a revelation- I had mistakenly put my leg into the arm of the wetsuit! No wonder it didn’t fit. ( my arms being different sizes from the legs, and not coming out of my shoulders). I tried to quietly disentangle myself, and get dressed. Eventually I was zipped in, and ready to go. Despite my mishaps, once I was in the water, it was glorious. Even the midges didn’t put me off. Seeing nature from the water is wonderful, as you feel so free!

The ability to laugh at ourselves seems essential to our survival. We often get things wrong, but just noticing what has happened, and having courage to try again, is all that is needed.

I love the idea that God looks upon us with love, and He wants to give us a second chance. In Isaiah 41: 13b He says ‘ Fear not, I will help you.’

In small things and big, God helps us get disentangled from the things that hold us back, and gives us a new start. We are so grateful. Even though my wild swimming preparations were more involved than I thought, when I saw what was happening, I could learn from it and put it right. We are not to be put off by setbacks, but to persevere, and to trust.

Gracious God, we start off so enthusiastically to do things, but so quickly we can end up in a fankle. Lord Jesus, please always give us insight and presence of mind to notice what has happened, and to approach things differently. Thankyou for the humour in life! Help us not to become scared, but to forgive ourselves for our failings. May we always keep trying, and be enabled to enjoy the fruit of our efforts, in this case a glorious swim. May your holy spirit always lead us to freedom and joy, in Jesus name, Amen.

Repeated rainbows!

In the lashing rain…….

Sometimes we go though periods when everything seems to be going wrong, when you forget something, you get an unexpected bill, or a friend is ill. And then it can be one of these days when you get soaked to the skin by very cold rain, snd the rain is so heavy it runs down your back, and your feet are drenched and frozen.

I was in the middle of such a day, when I saw this most beautiful rainbow. The colours were so vibrant, and reminded me of everything that is beautiful and full of hope. My dilemma was do I stand longer in the howling wind and rain to take the picture, or do I hurry on? I needed to take the picture, even though I became even more soggy doing so.

In Genesis chapter 9:12 God says to Noah ‘this is the token of the covenant which I am making between me and every living creature, for all future generations.’.

The rainbow is a sign of God’s faithfulness, that there will never be another flood over all the earth. I love how even after the heaviest and darkest storm, a rainbow so often appears, a sign that God is watching over us, and wants to bring us hope.

So I must have been having a bad week, or maybe it’s just that I keep forgetting, but God has given me so many rainbows in recent days, sometimes even two a day! Now I do know I live in Glasgow, and it is one of the wettest cities, but I have loved my rainbows. They just remind us all that God never forgets, and that even after the worst of times, there is hope. Whatever our situation might be, God loves us, and wants to bring a message of grace and the possibility of new beginnings.

Creator God, thankyou that this world is so incredible, varied in form, colour and texture, with creatures of all kinds on land and in sea and air. Yet we so often choose to be selfish, and we hurt each other and we cause such pain to our planet.Forgive us for our apathy and carelessness. Lord Jesus, inspire us through the rainbow, so we can start again, to know it is worth it, and there is hope. Holy spirit, speak to us all though these arches of colour, reminding us all that are still possibilities of vibrancy and inspiration in life even after the most dismal of days, thankyou Father, Amen