A Summer To Learn…

A Summer To Learn…6-4-25

This summer my daughter-in-law works most days. He will be with me most of the week. I promised our grandson that I would make sure we spent a couple of days a week at the pool. He loves water. He has had swim lessons since he was small, but still hasn’t mastered the skill. My hope is that he spends more time in the water, and becomes so comfortable, it just develops. I can pray for that. I drowned when I was 3 and have never learned to swim. My head goes under, I panic. I have taken lessons my entire life, but every time, the fear takes over. I don't want him to miss out, as I have.

I’m sitting at the pool, watching him play. He doesn’t meet a stranger. He has talked to these boys until they have asked him to play and all are laughing and playing. I can see a prayer being answered in this simple act of friendship. The boys here today are being good to him and including him. He shared with me the last time we came some told him not to get near them. I had to compliment these boys to their grandmother. She was very nice, and said the typical grandmother response, “They better be!” To that, I laughed and went back to my seat.

This summer will be a leaning time for us all. My patience will be tested and renewed. His energy is boundless. His ODD is evidenced in various ways. He will learn new boundaries and routines. He has already begun to accept them without hesitation.

You see, just as there are boundaries for children and adults, God sets boundaries for us as Christians. But, there are times that God wants us to extend those boundaries and move out of the comfortable. Micah 7:11, "The day for building your walls will come, the day for extending your boundaries." We have our Bible as a guide for how to live, how to act, and even how to love. The Holy Spirit guides us. We will extend our boundaries as we learn to do His will in new situations and experiences. Just as my grandson will learn to extend His boundaries to allow others in and accept them as they are, so will I as I grow in God’s grace and mercy.