The River and the YMCA

Good morning,
I pray the day finds you well.

It has been hot, really hot.

I came home from the YMCA and the river was calling my name. I am blessed to live by a river. In the mornings I sit out by it and drink my coffee. This is the time that God and I have our best conversations.

As I looked at the river I had a hard time seeing anything in it. The water is crystal clear and the bottom is rocky, a typical mountain river. I can see the bottom clearly, but unless the salmon are running I don't see any fish. I always knew they were there, but just couldn't see them.

My kids, and grandkids were at the house they other day and my oldest son Brandon bought a snorkel mask. We had a great time in the river that day.

I came home from the YMCA the other day and the temperature was 109. I got into my swim suit, grabbed the facemask and headed for the river.

I got in, put the facemask on and went for a swim. When I looked under the water with the facemask I was immediately struck by the amount of life in the river. Fish were all around me, crayfish wandering on the bottom.

The river was full of life.

I was struck by the fact of when I would sit on the bank of the river I couldn't see much. But, once I dove in, looked beneath surface, I was surrounded by life.

Then God said, "That is the way life is. So often people sit on the bank of life and complain that I am not doing anything, or worse, I don't exist. All they have to do is get in the river of life, take a look around and see everything that is going on."

A couple of thousand years ago, when talking of the things of God, a guy named Paul said, "We see through a glass darkly."

Much in the same way we cannot see beneath the surface of a river. The fact that we cannot see all the life in a river while we sit on the bank does not mean it isn't there.

My thoughts turned toward the YMCA.

Now I am not going to say that all "Y's" are this way, I can only speak to the "Y" were I live.

When people come in, or drive by, They can see we have a gym; it is a place were they could workout, they could even go swimming. What they cannot see is all the other things that are going on. In a way they look at our "Y" much the same as I had been looking at the river by my house.

It is only when a person takes the time to look under the surface of our "Y" do they get a chance to see the "life" going on in our YMCA.

People being healed from depression and anxiety.
Kids at risk for hunger being fed, everyday.
Kids healing from abuse through swim lessons.
Homeless people getting help.

People getting a glimpse of God in a place that they would not expect to find it.

I love our YMCA, it is a good place.

A place where the hurt find healing and the hopeless find hope.

Blessings,

Roger