Almost Walking on Water

 

A few years ago, I took up a new sport.  I’m not really a sporty person and young only at heart, but it was after the lock downs that my husband and I decided to give Stand up Paddle boarding a go. It was something different to do. I surprised myself by getting the hang of it and I really enjoyed myself. So last year we did a course to improve our skills and this year we purchased a couple of boards. Watching paddle boarders glide along the river makes it all looks pretty straight forward, but in truth things can become unstable very quickly. The secret to staying dry is to keep your feet in the same place and make sure your eyes are looking ahead. The paddle then helps you both move and balance. When conditions are good it is, I think, the closest thing to walking on water (without the walking of course!) I just love the feeling of stillness, gently wending my way along a river cocooned in nature.

There are a few tips we can take from stand-up paddling that can help us both as writers and Christians.

As writers it is important to know which direction our work is going in, to keep our eyes on that and to avoid getting tangled in the detours and overhanging branches so to speak. 
There are times when we paddle hard upstream, our writing takes huge effort and it can feel like distance covered is minimal. Other times we travel downstream, our words flow freely, progress is good.

As Christians it is so important to cultivate times of stillness, they are not inactive times but opportunities to stop and listen, to resist moving in a certain direction but learn to wait. We gain stability in our stillness.

Each day it is important to look up and fix our eyes on Jesus. Looking around at our circumstances can cause us to wobble in more ways than one.

Maybe the most important thing is that when I’m paddle boarding I start off on my knees and then, if conditions become challenging, that’s where I return.

Who thought there would be so many lessons from the simple joys of paddle boarding! Maybe you can think of more.

Bio
Meryl McKean loves writing devotionals and poems and has had a few articles published over the years as well as using her writing in her work. She wants her writing to be a tool which helps others draw closer to God. She is married to Andy and lives in Bedford. Her day job as a member of her church staff leadership team is full of challenges and opportunities.