How to Trust in Troubled Waters
Her name was Florence Chadwick and she was a talented swimmer. She began swimming when she was very young, knowing even then her passion for ocean swims.
At the age of 10, she became the youngest person to swim across the mouth of San Diego bay. She then turned to competing (and winning) in several rough water competitions and ocean relays in the decades that followed.
At 31, she became the first woman to swim the 21-mile English Channel, setting a world record. Three years later, she set her heart to swimming the 26-mile route between Catalina Island and the California coastline.
The 26-mile swim turned out to be her most memorable one yet; it became the story she was often remembered for. Several small boats trailed her the whole time just in case anything dangerous happened to her. On she swam, the hours pushing forward with every stroke that she completed.
Overcoming the Fog of Doubt
She was swimming for 15 hours when a thick fog had settled on the water and blocked her view of the coastline. She started to doubt herself and told her mother (on one of the boats) that she didn't think she could make it. Nevertheless, she kept swimming.
After an hour, she gave up and asked to be pulled out of the water. As she neared the coastline, it dawned on her that she only had a mile to go before she reached her destination.
More determined than ever, she swam the same route two months after. The same thick fog greeted her on the water but this time, she swam on until she finally reached the Catalina coastline.
When asked how she succeeded, she said it was the mental image of the coastline on the other side that kept her swimming the whole time. She went on to swimming the same route twice more in life.
Troubled Waters
Florence was an exceptional swimmer who had several championship titles under her belt. Despite this, she still experienced challenges that made her doubt herself.
The same goes for marriage. We have the compass. We know which way to go. But no matter how long we have travelled on this journey or how well we have gotten to know our spouses, nothing can ever prepare us for life's unexpected and unwanted twists. The way forward becomes simply too dark and foggy to trust.
So what do you need when you find yourself directionless in the middle of the dark expanse of the sea? Or when you find something unknown standing in your way as you move forward in life?
You need a clear and present image of your destination to hold on to as you steer yourself towards it. This image, in the figurative sense, will be the one to light up the way.
Firm, Immovable Light
Like Florence, we too can overcome even the most troubled waters. And I'm not talking about relying on sheer self-determination here; I'm talking about relying on God's Word.
God, the author of marriage, has given us His Word to guide us on our journey. The Word of God is described as "a lamp to my feet and the light to my path- (Psalms 119: 105). This, coupled with the fact that it is founded on Jesus Christ himself, makes God's Word the best source of truth there is and the only light that can guide us when all else fails. Hence the longer and deeper we find ourselves in our journey, the more we need to train ourselves to look to God's Word for guidance.
Lasting trust is built on truth, the greatest of which is found in God's steadfast and immovable Word. Through the years Marie and I have looked to the reliability of God's Word to move us forward; because whether in the calmest or most troubled of waters, nothing is more trustworthy.
Read related articles:
The Truth about Bad Breath
The True North of Trust
The One Lesson That Changed My Marriage
How to Turn the One Lesson Into Reality
The Risk and Responsibility of Trust
The History of Trust
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