Swim

So I was talking to this lady in the showers… don’t worry they are communal in the spa area at my local leisure centre, everyone has costumes on! I recognised her as one of the swimming instructors and I was asking her about maybe getting some lessons to properly learn how to do front crawl. She was keen to get me booked on and excited to teach me to swim. She said six weeks would really improve my technique, I could improve my fitness, building some open water swimming and maybe enter some competitions.

Maybe enter some competitions? Was she mad! I just didn’t want to drown, not compete. Later that day I wondered why she would even suggest competitions. Then it me- she had no idea of my limitations. She is not interested in the limitations I have set myself, in fact no one is. No one is interested in the self-limiting beliefs you set for yourself because… they don’t really exist.

Let us go to God in prayer…

We thank you heavenly parent that you have created each one of us, lovingly in your image. Remind us daily of this truth. You are all loving, all knowing, all powerful.

We thank you that there is no limit to what each of us can acheive.

Holy Spirit be with us now. You are the guiding force behind each step we take. You call us each day to be bold, to be brave, to be beautiful.

Jesus, we pray for our world, sometimes we look at the news and think this is all too much. Remind us that we too are part of this world, we all have a role to play, we all need to stand up and be accountable.

Jesus, you never backed down, you never sat down, you never said

“Oh thats out of my remit.”

You lived a life without limits. As your disciples, today we dig deep and throw away everything holding us back. There are no limits to what each of us can acheive. Not money nor time, not strength nor class. Not race nor gender. The only thing stopping us today is our doubts and self limiting thoughts.

Heavenly parent give each of us the skills we need to throw off our shackles, unbind ourselves. There is so much good work for us to do. There is so much love for us to share. There is so much compassion that needs to be given.

Today we stop looking towards others to do the hard work. It is your power, through us, that will change the world.

Holy Spirit, right now each of us is scared of drowning, but today we dip our toes in. We get support from others, we learn to swim, we enter the seas and we share with others the love of the water.

Each of us has a different challenge to rise to, so we ask you Lord, energise us to face it, not alone but as community.

All this, and so much more, is possible through You.

Amen!