It’s early, but people are already settling at the beach. Couples open beach chairs and women open their books. Multi-colored umbrellas pop out of the sand in both directions, north and south, as far as I can see.
Kids squeal and kick the waves. I become a people watcher on these days. But first my eyes are drawn to the swimmer – the one I see each morning. I do not know how early he began this morning, I just know he swims. Back and forth.From buoy to buoy.
I lack the patience to count his laps. As I place my low chair onto the sand, he swims. I adjust my sunglasses, turn to create some shade, draw my reading and writing materials from my bag. He swims. I read. Sand marks my page. I step to the water’s edge to scoop shells and shark’s teeth. He swims. Back and forth.
From buoy to buoy.
His eyes do not wander. He continues. This swimmer is my teacher. He is teaching a lesson today – one of endurance. His lesson is not only for a swimmer. It is for me. I open the Word, my Bible. The breeze brings bits of sand onto its thin pages, forever marking the passages on endurance. On these thin pages, I read that God gives endurance. On these thin pages, I read that everything that was written in the past was written to teach me, so that through endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures, I might have hope. (See Romans 15:4,5)
Just as the Apostle Paul told Timothy to pursue endurance, (See 1 Timothy 6:11), my swimmer demonstrates it. I must pursue it. It leads to hope. On these thin pages, I am taught of the endurance of God’s people who dwelled with God – who went from strength to strength. (See Psalm 84:4-7) Just like the swimmer. Back and forth.
From buoy to buoy.
I do not know when the swimmer later comes ashore, as I am reading or writing, or my eyes have wandered to sandpipers or to pelicans or to the foam of the incessant waves. But when I pack up and leave the sand, his lesson of endurance goes with me.