Bulldogs Can't Swim
August 26th
Ever since we've had a bulldog, we've been told over and over again
that because of the design of these creatures and their big rolled
shoulders, they cannot swim. For six years Moses has stood on the dock
and watched his buddies and their amazing water feats. He has never
attempted to do more than wade along the shoreline. This spring my
husband was baptizing several people and the process made Moses anxious.
(My husband is capable of swimming, but doesn't like to. I doubt Moses
has ever seen him swim.) At one point Moses waded out too far and sure
enough, that dog paddle stroke did not work for him and he had to be
rescued.
Well, Sunday the word SUBMERGE came into this bulldog's life.
Etymology: Latin submergere, from sub- + mergere to plunge —
to put under water; to make obscure or subordinate : suppress
personal lives submerged by professional responsibilities.
We have church in our yard on Sunday mornings in the summer and the
majority of people come by boat. This particular morning my husband
was steadying a boat which was drifting a bit from the dock as people
were unloading. Moses came barrelling down the hill, ran in front of my
husband and slipped off the edge of the dock and went down like a 75
pound brick. Immediately my husband jumped in (church clothes and all)
between the dock and the boat, very dangerous, and was able to retrieve
the dog. Fortunately, there was another man on the dock who could help
get Moses out for the water was too deep for my husband to touch the
bottom.
There have been times in my life where I've felt like I was in a toilet
bowl swirling and about to go down. Submerge is a good way to describe
other times in our lives when we are covered up and feel like we are
drowning.
Jesus felt this way in Gethsemane. He had the weight of the world's sins
baring down on him. What He did for a reprieve is the same as we are to
do today...go away to a quiet place and pray. Phillip Yancey writes:
"Prayer invites us to rest in the fact that God is in control, and the
world's problems are ultimately God's, not ours."
Let's Pray: God, we praise your name and the fact that we can know today
that You are on your throne. Your Word speaks of praying continually
and giving thanks in all situations. So when we feel like we have
fallen into the depths of the sea and our lives are submerged with
trials and temptations, lift us up! Help us feel Your presence and
set us on dry ground to continue living and loving You. In Jesus Name.
Ever since we've had a bulldog, we've been told over and over again
that because of the design of these creatures and their big rolled
shoulders, they cannot swim. For six years Moses has stood on the dock
and watched his buddies and their amazing water feats. He has never
attempted to do more than wade along the shoreline. This spring my
husband was baptizing several people and the process made Moses anxious.
(My husband is capable of swimming, but doesn't like to. I doubt Moses
has ever seen him swim.) At one point Moses waded out too far and sure
enough, that dog paddle stroke did not work for him and he had to be
rescued.
Well, Sunday the word SUBMERGE came into this bulldog's life.
Etymology: Latin submergere, from sub- + mergere to plunge —
to put under water; to make obscure or subordinate : suppress
personal lives submerged by professional responsibilities.
We have church in our yard on Sunday mornings in the summer and the
majority of people come by boat. This particular morning my husband
was steadying a boat which was drifting a bit from the dock as people
were unloading. Moses came barrelling down the hill, ran in front of my
husband and slipped off the edge of the dock and went down like a 75
pound brick. Immediately my husband jumped in (church clothes and all)
between the dock and the boat, very dangerous, and was able to retrieve
the dog. Fortunately, there was another man on the dock who could help
get Moses out for the water was too deep for my husband to touch the
bottom.
There have been times in my life where I've felt like I was in a toilet
bowl swirling and about to go down. Submerge is a good way to describe
other times in our lives when we are covered up and feel like we are
drowning.
Jesus felt this way in Gethsemane. He had the weight of the world's sins
baring down on him. What He did for a reprieve is the same as we are to
do today...go away to a quiet place and pray. Phillip Yancey writes:
"Prayer invites us to rest in the fact that God is in control, and the
world's problems are ultimately God's, not ours."
Let's Pray: God, we praise your name and the fact that we can know today
that You are on your throne. Your Word speaks of praying continually
and giving thanks in all situations. So when we feel like we have
fallen into the depths of the sea and our lives are submerged with
trials and temptations, lift us up! Help us feel Your presence and
set us on dry ground to continue living and loving You. In Jesus Name.
