O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

Today, I went to work at the pool for the first time in two weeks. I taught a boy who was deathly afraid of the water. I always try to distract kids from their fear by talking to them about their family or things that they like. I asked this boy how old he was and he said, "I'm five...no, I'm six. I don't know." I looked at him surprised he did not know how old he was. Then he said nervously, "I think I'm eight."

After about fifteen minutes of coaxing, I convinced him to get away from the wall and walk with me into the deeper water. He completely panicked, so I started to explain my job to him. I said, "I am here to keep you above the water. If I let you sink, I wouldn't be doing my job. You have to trust me and know that I will not let you go." He looked at me and said, "OK, I'm going to trust you, but if you let me go, we're going back to the wall."

I started thinking about my trust in God. I feel like I see him a lot like that boy saw me. I say, "OK, God, I trust you, but if you let me go..." I can't imagine how God reacts when I put such limited trust in him. When the boy in the pool said, "but if you let me go" I just smiled at him. There was no way I would have let him go under water. I wonder if God just smiles at me when I say, "but if you let me go," knowing he's not going to let me go.

This song popped in to my head while I was walking around with that little guy. I just wanted to share it with whoever happens to read this. :)

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

"O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to thee; my heart restores its borrowed ray, that in thy sunshine’s blaze its day may brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee; I trace the rainbow through the rain, and feel the promise is not vain, that morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from thee; I lay in dust life’s glory dead, and from the ground there blossoms red life that shall endless be."