A Necessary Swim

41But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.

42The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 43But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely. (Acts 27)

Thoughts:  The other day I took my grandchildren for a swim.  We had all watched some of the Olympics and so there was pretending and dreaming we were not in the local 4 foot deep community pool.  Rather we imagined we were in Rio in the Olympic Race.
      Swimming for fun or for games reminds us of swimming for life.
      Yusra Mardini is a Christian who fled Syria who also is an Olympic swimmer.  She, like Paul in the passage above, was shipwrecked in the Mediterranean.  She and her sister and 18 other refugees were in a dinghy whose motor broke.  Mardini, her sister, and another woman jumped into the water and took turns pulling the boat for the rest of the three and a half hour journey.  Mardini is on the Olympic Refugee Swim Team.  She won her heat in the 100 meter butterfly but lost in the semi-finals.  Yet her dream was to swim in the Olympics.  God is using her story to bring glory to His name all over the world. 

Prayer: Lord, whether the world knows me, let me live for you.  Whether I win a medal or a trophy or not- let me still honor you.