Good Morning! It's been a while because I've been learning in order to share. Ugh! That's hard to do and fills me with anxiety if I'm not alert. I feel the need to write the next thing and struggle when I have no next thing to write!
That being said, I think I'm beginning to get a feel for what I'm supposed to be learning from this new lesson. So, without further ado...
There are some very specific positions and motions that work best and achieve the best desired result with the least amount of effort when swimming freestyle. Today I'm going to share what I'm learning about extending our reach.
In the pool, I should extend my arm to its max length and then reach forward an additional six inches by extending my arm from the shoulder. This will cause my body to pivot with each stroke. I will catch the water and pull it back toward my belly button and then out again by my hip before fully extending it behind me and grazing the side of my thigh with an "hourglass" pull. This benefits me in a multitude of ways, but none more than forward progress. Additionally, I am using more muscle groups and it's definitely easier to breathe when I'm fully extending my reach and pull.
Spiritually, progress is important. I had a youth pastor (now they're called student pastors) once say, "Just like fruit, the minute we stop maturing we start rotting." That was a long time ago and yet it's still resonating with me. If I'm not growing and maturing, I'm rotting (dying).
Understanding relationship between an extended reach and progress didn't cause much of a struggle for me, but I knew there was more the LORD wanted me to learn and practice. So, I've been seeking answers from Him and believe I'm beginning to get them. In fact, I feel like I've gotten a buck shot burst of feedback in the last couple of days. The light's coming on and I'm trying to assimilate it all. So, just know that I'm not claiming to be a master at extending but a learner who's inviting you to join me on the journey.
Extending my arms means reaching further and allowing the extended reach to pivot my position, expose myself, and gain a new perspective all at the same time. It allows me to capture more of the LORD's goodness as I move into all He has for me. It exposes me to new people and new situations. New relationships and new dynamics in current relationships!
New relationships bring vulnerability. Just like when I extend my reach and pivot in the water causing one side of my body to be exposed. I'm to be exposed and authentic with everyone and allow them to be the same with me.
Extending my reach also causes me to pivot and gain a new perspective. While the backward reaching side is exposed, the forward reaching side is pivoting deeper into the water. When I exert the effort of extending my reach, I'm pressed deeper into the One who is the Living Water. I see from a new perspective - His!
So, what does extending my reach in the pool remind me to do in the LORD? Be a friend who loves at all times. A friend who's willing to go beyond and expose herself to express that love. A friend who is submerged totally in Jesus, my Friend; the One who loves me and shows me how to love others.
Proverbs 17:17a says, "A friend shows his friendship at all times"
John 15:12-17 says, “This is my command: that you keep on loving each other just as I have loved you. No one has greater love than a person who lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave doesn’t know what his master is about; but I have called you friends, because everything I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, I chose you; and I have commissioned you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that whatever you ask from the Father in my name he may give you. This is what I command you: keep loving each other!"
Deuteronomy 6:5 says, "you are to love Adonai your God with all your heart, all your being and all your resources."
LORD, I want to extend myself fully, pivot into You, and trust You enough to expose myself to others. I want more of You! I want to love You as You love me! I want to love others as You love me. You held nothing back. You were fully extended and exposed. You always see the Father's perspective. LORD, I want to reflect You in all those ways...giving the same grace to others as You have given to me. Thank You for showing this to me. Now help me live it please. Amen.
That being said, I think I'm beginning to get a feel for what I'm supposed to be learning from this new lesson. So, without further ado...
There are some very specific positions and motions that work best and achieve the best desired result with the least amount of effort when swimming freestyle. Today I'm going to share what I'm learning about extending our reach.
In the pool, I should extend my arm to its max length and then reach forward an additional six inches by extending my arm from the shoulder. This will cause my body to pivot with each stroke. I will catch the water and pull it back toward my belly button and then out again by my hip before fully extending it behind me and grazing the side of my thigh with an "hourglass" pull. This benefits me in a multitude of ways, but none more than forward progress. Additionally, I am using more muscle groups and it's definitely easier to breathe when I'm fully extending my reach and pull.
Spiritually, progress is important. I had a youth pastor (now they're called student pastors) once say, "Just like fruit, the minute we stop maturing we start rotting." That was a long time ago and yet it's still resonating with me. If I'm not growing and maturing, I'm rotting (dying).
Understanding relationship between an extended reach and progress didn't cause much of a struggle for me, but I knew there was more the LORD wanted me to learn and practice. So, I've been seeking answers from Him and believe I'm beginning to get them. In fact, I feel like I've gotten a buck shot burst of feedback in the last couple of days. The light's coming on and I'm trying to assimilate it all. So, just know that I'm not claiming to be a master at extending but a learner who's inviting you to join me on the journey.
Extending my arms means reaching further and allowing the extended reach to pivot my position, expose myself, and gain a new perspective all at the same time. It allows me to capture more of the LORD's goodness as I move into all He has for me. It exposes me to new people and new situations. New relationships and new dynamics in current relationships!
New relationships bring vulnerability. Just like when I extend my reach and pivot in the water causing one side of my body to be exposed. I'm to be exposed and authentic with everyone and allow them to be the same with me.
Extending my reach also causes me to pivot and gain a new perspective. While the backward reaching side is exposed, the forward reaching side is pivoting deeper into the water. When I exert the effort of extending my reach, I'm pressed deeper into the One who is the Living Water. I see from a new perspective - His!
So, what does extending my reach in the pool remind me to do in the LORD? Be a friend who loves at all times. A friend who's willing to go beyond and expose herself to express that love. A friend who is submerged totally in Jesus, my Friend; the One who loves me and shows me how to love others.
Proverbs 17:17a says, "A friend shows his friendship at all times"
John 15:12-17 says, “This is my command: that you keep on loving each other just as I have loved you. No one has greater love than a person who lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave doesn’t know what his master is about; but I have called you friends, because everything I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, I chose you; and I have commissioned you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that whatever you ask from the Father in my name he may give you. This is what I command you: keep loving each other!"
Deuteronomy 6:5 says, "you are to love Adonai your God with all your heart, all your being and all your resources."
LORD, I want to extend myself fully, pivot into You, and trust You enough to expose myself to others. I want more of You! I want to love You as You love me! I want to love others as You love me. You held nothing back. You were fully extended and exposed. You always see the Father's perspective. LORD, I want to reflect You in all those ways...giving the same grace to others as You have given to me. Thank You for showing this to me. Now help me live it please. Amen.
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