To Swim or Not to Swim

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. James 4:13-17(niv) My little fella went through a week of swim lessons. In his mind, they lasted far too long and required him to give up control of the environment. For my strong-willed and ego-centered little guy, this was worse than actually having to listen to his teacher. In reality, the lessons were 10 minutes a day for the past 5 days. That's just enough time to get his hair wet, yet you would think his life was coming to an end. I must also say that this is his 3rd year with his lessons and he already knows how to swim -- so he wasn't in any real danger. Not to mention, the instructor is constantly at arms length of him. His issue is the same that all of us have from time to time, or in my case -- most of the time, we like to do what we want to do when we want to do it. In little fella's case he would interject here, "I will swim when I want to swim and not before." Some attitude -huh? They grow up so fast!! But in reality, that is how life is. We can't always be in charge. We don't always get our way. Life is not always fair in our assessment. Yet, the Lord above is truly our authority figure, yet we - or least I, still try to hold the reigns a little too tight and when situations such as "swim lessons" cross my path, I kick and scream versus going along with it and learning a thing or two!! God just wants us to submit to His authority, His way and for His glory. That's it. There is no discussion, no questions, no nothing - He is the ultimate director of our lives. It is hard to let Him have it some times because I just know that I can handle things. However, at the end of my attempt to "handle it," He comes along side to pick up the pieces and unravel the knots that I have so astutely surrounded myself with. Typically at this stage, I begin to repent and start the standard "I am so sorry and I won't let this happen again" speech. Yet, once another situation comes along, I am still apt to grab the reigns. Just as my little fella knows how to swim and can do it when he is good and ready, his instructor needs him to swim during his scheduled time because that's the time she has set aside for him. She has a plan and a method of teaching him to be most effective in a short amount of time. As my hubby and I told him throughout the week: it would go much faster, he will learn a lot more and he may have a little more fun, if he just listens to Ms Dianne versus questioning her, complaining and making excuses. As I said all of that, I felt the Lord say, "isn't that what I tell you all the time?" OUCH!! So, the next time I start to kick and scream or complain about having to do something, I need to take a step back and follow my own parental advice. If I just sit back and let the Lord lead me, I may just learn something, the situation will be resolved much quicker and I may have some fun in the process. Do you have any knots to unravel? Dear Lord - Thank you for the privilege of being a parent. I thank that discipline and family talks are not wasted on the children. I thank you that I too can continue to grow. I thank you that you want to teach me things in this life. Please be patient with me when I attempt to reach for the reigns - I am learning! AMEN