Here's my true story from April 2009
The
Singing Swimmer
by Susie Krauter on
Sunday, April 26, 2009
The singing swimmer? Underwater or
above?
It was just yesterday when Lance
said, 'you should go swimming, you need to.' That was just enough encouragement
for me to decide to go swimming. In my car on the way I prayed and I wondered.
I've often wondered, "God, why am I doing this? Is it because You want me
to? Or, is it because I want to?" With a life so busy and full, it's
really hard to take the time out to go on a dedicated exercise swim, it can
take me away from home for up to two hours - so in order to keep priorities in
a right order and focus, I absolutely MUST question how I use the time God has
given me, and then whenver needed, rearrange my activities according to what is
right, and I don't always get it right. So I'm driving down the road, tired
from staying up very late at night, and I pray, and while I pray I wonder. I
wonder, why do I get to do this? It is such a privilege, such a joy. I ask God
along the lines of, "I'm tired today Lord, one of those days when I don't
feel like persevering, please help me to persevere as much as it is Your will,
please help me to swim as much as it is Your will." You see, if it isn't
God's will for me to spend so much time swimming, then I need to know.
I arrive at the pool, and in
preparation as usual, I clothe myself to swim modestly; and enter the saunna to
stretch and pray. As usual, I wonder why the Lord is letting my have this time
of rest and solace, this time to regroup, alone, to think, to pray, I usually
sing in the Saunna, and pray and pray. I ask Him, what is Your will Lord?
Please help me to swim as much as is Your will today. You see, I only want to
be able to swim as much as He wants - that way I know whether it is in His
will, and how much is in His will. Today I lack personal perseverance, but I'm
trusting Him for His will.
After my time of prayer and focus, I
enter the pool area where I must be the most modest and ugliest swimmer alive,
in my double swimsuits plus swim shorts, swim cap, goggles, I'm ready for
business, ready for work. Teresa has been training me, God has been blessing me
with the strength and health to be able to enjoy this blessing. I still want to
sing. In my heart songs for God abound and I just want to sing. I take my first
plunge as I shoot underwater like a long straight arrow gliding gently into a
slow gentle crawl stroke, 25, 50, 75yards and onward, remembering the
"s" with the hands, praying as I go, a song in my heart and mind, I
watch the pool bottom through my goggles, I am a bit sluggish in some ways, but
quickly to the end of the pool and then to the next end, soon I'm at 200 and
ready for the next task. Stopping to breath and drink water, it's time for the
next drill, and now I work to try to do the gentle "breaststroke"
swim, pull - breath - kick - glide -- it's such a gentle stroke that I can see
how this would be good to do in the ocean if you fell of the cruise liner; you could
kindof swim forever like this... 200... next... The pull-buoey -- I love this
one; time to refine that crawl stroke, doesn't take much breath as the feet
float toes pointed behind; and the fun flip at the end... Soon it's time for
the kick board... Time to strengthen the legs and work on the flutter kick...
But that song in my heart, in my mind... It's so loud - it's so present, so
with me... For maybe the first time, I sing as I flutter kick, sing sing
sing... "When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea
billows roll... Whatever my lot Thou hast taught me to say, "it is well,
it is well with my soul..." When I see someone's head pop up at the end of
the pool I may quiet myself or stop altogether for the moment, but then I resume,
as I flutter flutter flutter kick with the kickboard/pullboey and sing along as
I go, so content, so much peace, trusting that God will take me where He leads
me today. Onward I go... probably somewhere beyond the 200 yards lost in the
song somewhere along the way, so enjoying God's presence and love; He's at the
pool with me today, didn't you know? "Why, why do I get to do this?"
It is so wonderful.
Onto the next phase; I've been
thinking. I've done a 500 before, then the next with flippers, think I"ll
do it again. Now as I gently glide heading forward with a long stretching
craw lstroke, the songs are still with me, I think somewhere within, "I can
do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and I remember the song
that Larry Claar wrote with that scripture. I'm encouraged as I go. I pray, and
now though you can't hear me singing, I'm underwater singing, not with my
mouth; but in my heart, in my mind. 25, 50, 75, 250, 350, singing, singing,
praising... Now I'm thinking, 'what if I could go on to 1000 yards without
stopping?' I think I can do it with God's help. The songs, the prayers
continue. 450, 500... Drum roll please... 525!!! 550!!! 575!!! Susie's first
ever nonstop 575 with God's help! Susie's first ever nonstop 600 with God's
help! WOO HOO!!! (No one but God can hear my Spirit say Woo Hoo! I swim on
excited and blessed and happy and singing and praying and thanking God, so
grateful for the health, the enjoyment, the rest, the peace, the satisfaction
and so forth... And so I swim on.)
I've been working on swimming since
January, I originally started swimming at 6 months old (for real, thank you
mom) and loved it as a teen, in my young adult years I gave it up mainly due to
modesty issues and family and more; but now I've found a way to swim modestly,
and I have reasons; two main reasons... They are... #1 so I have a way to serve
at Jr/Sr Camp in a way that I don't have to stay up too late as that often
doesn't go so well with me and then I can also be with my husband and little
son there at night... #2, for a fitness goal (excited about improving health
and cardio ability). Now I'm swimming with better technique than ever before,
I'm sure there's huge room for more improvement.
Now comes the part that brings me
tears even now. I've been swimming since January, and due to the time it takes
to swim about three hours a week, I have to consider my priorities and make
sure I'm within what God's will is for me. So I've been asking God for months
and months what His will is. I wondered if I was doing "my will" so
I want just HIS. I've been curious as He keeps blessing me with the swimming
and the milestones, what does He have in store for me? Why do I get to do this?
Is my life short and I get to have this big present of enjoyment here before I
go? And so I swim and swim, pray and pray, wonder and wonder. While I swam
yesterday, as I entered into the realm of Susie's first ever nonstop 550 with
God's help woo hoo! Susie's first ever nonstop 800 with God's help THANK YOU
GOD!!! My Spirit was overjoyed, "why, Why God do I get to do this?" And
I heard in my head... "I Love You." This brings me tears. Still. You
know, God loves me. He's just giving me this wonderful gift. Don't we give good
gifts to our children? We want them to enjoy. We want them to be happy and pleased
and although it should come from the Lord, to be happy and joyous, yet we do
give them good gifts and it makes them happy and in turn we are happy. God has
given me this joyous gift, because... Because He loves me. He loves me. Tears.
I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me. On this day at around 850 yards, swimming became almost
effortless. I felt as though I could go to sleep swimming. It was an amazing
feeling. As the lights hit the bottom of the water and reflect and shimmer I think
of God and Him being with me, and seeking His will, and wanting His will, and
how He loves me. He loves us all. He blesses us with so many gifts that we
don't even recognize are gifts. He loves us so.
It was yesterday, I swam 1200
nonstop yards, and I've could have gone on... but the right use of my time was
to stop... and so on this day when I lacked perseverance and asked God for His
will no matter what that was, he gave me the ability to go the farthest nonstop
that I've gone so far... It's been a lot of training to get me there... Help
along the way... Tons of prayer... But He is getting me there and blessing me
with the strength.
I have to go now; but I'd like to
consider this perseverance and gift from God, God's will, and how this lesson
and application in swimming pertains to other areas of our lives. I hope to
think and pray on it and share back, but I'd love to hear your insights as
well.
