From across the pool, something completely harmless, appeared threatening.
Over the Memorial Day weekend, my family was blessed to spend the weekend with my parents. More specifically, we spent the weekend at their pool and with a record breaking heat wave, we were especially thankful.
My first day in the pool, I checked the skimmer carefully, like I always do. Anyone who has ever owned a pool, knows the importance of that task. On most days, a skimmer will have leaves and dead bugs in it. But, sometimes there are dangerous critters like snakes, that aren’t really trapped and can get back out into the pool.
After my skimmer check, I hit the water. I was floating along, minding my own business, when something in the skimmer, caught my eye. Something blue was hanging down behind the face of the skimmer. I couldn’t see it when I looked inside from outside the pool. It was only visible from the pool. It looked like the tail of something and I immediately reported it to my parents as I paddled a safe distance away.
My Daddy, the reliable slayer of unwelcome skimmer intruders, got on his knees on the scorching hot cement and attempted to investigate. He couldn’t see anything. I kept telling him he had to be in the pool to see it. He tried to splash the area,but it didn’t move. He finally informed me I would have to get closer to direct him to the interloper.
I reluctantly obeyed. I paddled over timidly, just waiting for a ten foot python to come coiling out of the skimmer. But, as I got closer, I realized it was something else entirely.
The intruder that had filled my heart with fear and had Daddy on his hands and knees, was a sliver of their new pool liner that hadn’t been cut closely enough.
At first, I was filled with relief and then I felt incredibly foolish. Daddy was a good sport about the ordeal and moved on to other projects he had to work on.
But, the skimmer incident stayed on my mind long after I got out of the pool. We have become a society obsessed with safety. From helmets, to seat belts, to car seats, to cell phones, to cameras on our front porches. We seem to live with a certain amount of fear on the edge of all we do.
What opportunities are we losing due to our safety obsession? What trips do we pass up? What job opportunities do we turn down? What dreams do we pack away? How many opportunities to serve God do we turn down because of fear?
Sure, a certain amount of fear is useful, but there’s a reason that the Bible tells us over and over to, “Fear not.” When we walk with Jesus, we are called to walk with courage, not with fear.
A pool skimmer reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂