Free Floating

With the sun burning bright on this 95 degree day, nothing felt better than the cool, clear water of the Buffalo River. Lathered in sunscreen and equipped with inner tubes, my family and I happily kept cool on this hot summer afternoon by relaxing and floating down the river. The water was the perfect temperature for an occasional dip, and the current was swift enough to keep us bobbing along. Dad summed up the way we all felt when he said with a smile, "This is the life!"

We especially enjoyed shooting the small rapids in our inner tubes. We would link arms, pick up speed, and let the water carry us. Then, in the pools where the water was not moving as swiftly, we would take a quick swim. In those lazy-river-moments, you could just lean back, close your eyes, and free float downstream.

At first I didn't like closing my eyes and floating freely. Without seeing, I didn't know where I was going. Even after closing my eyes for a few seconds, I felt like I had to peek just to make sure I was still on course and not about to hit a rock. But I soon realized that the flow of the river would keep me in the center, away from the "snakeville" banks (as my mom calls them) or dangerous rocks. I could rest contently, close my eyes, and trust that I could float freely down the river without worry.

God's love is like a river that sweeps us away in it's current. His love is long, wide, high, and deep. It is also beautiful, perfect, refreshing, and satisfying. When the weather of life becomes unbearable and the heat of circumstances wears us down, we can take a cool dip in His marvelous love. We can rest assured that His love keeps us afloat and that we are free from harm when we close our eyes and let the current move us. God's love carries us if only we allow ourselves to free float within it. As we relax in the unending, always-moving love God has for us, we can smile and say, "This is the life!"

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