I Have a Lifeguard-and You Do Too

“The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved–loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves”.–Victor Hugo    

There is nothing like the feeling you get when you KNOW that someone has your back. Each of us has experienced times when we feel frightened, completely overwhelmed, and you wonder if you are going to “make it”. I think of that sometimes when I am talking to my husband. His job involves a lot of stress and many deadlines. It always has, and it no doubt always will. I don’t mean that in a pessimistic way. It is just part of the occupation. He is an engineer, so there are always problems to be solved, software bugs to fix, and of course, deadlines to meet. It is overwhelming for him at times. All I can do is listen, be supportive, and remind him that he can make it through.

A friend of mine used to say: “you CAN do this”. She said it to her kids when they were freaking out about the enormity of a task. She’d say it to me. She’d say it to other moms in the neighborhood,  if they were frozen in indecision in how to get their kids to do something. It was amazingly encouraging, life affirming, and loving. Of course, she had an amazing way about her, too. Her tone, her laughing eyes, her absolutely unequivocal nature.  Trust me—you would totally love Pattie. I have known her for close to 20 years by now. I am blessed by her—and she would tell you I bless her right back.

She always has my back—and I hers. I mention her specifically, because our sons also were the best of friends. They, too, had each other’s backs. I was thinking about her this morning ever so fondly. However, I was not thinking of her because I was overwhelmed. Nope. This morning there was a glorious, gushing thunderstorm. That is a rare occurrence here, although it is the season when it happens on occasion. I had to smile because it reminded me of when we lived near each other in NJ and our boys were young. We’d let them run around outside in the pouring rain and jump in the puddles.

On those days we’d make potato soup together and spend the afternoon having lunch, watching the boys play, and we’d laugh, talk, solve the world’s problems. It was enriching in every way. We were ever aware of who had both our backs of course. But you see, God loves when we have friends that we rely on. Healthy friendships don’t stand between us and God—they become part of the circle of faith. When you need lifting up, remember: God is always, always there. If you need tangible evidence, look to Him and the friends who have your back. If you are overwhelmed today, remember: “You CAN do this”!