Almost a life lost. A child’s silent prayer

This childhood memory surfaced when news items on T.V. were enforcing once again the need for a child’s protection around all water.   “Even children who are good swimmers can make silly mistakes’

           My memory is of a nearly nine-year-old me who could swim like a fish, dive like a dolphin, and loved the open sea.  

            On a perfect summer day, the tide was full, and the Bay was calm with only gentle breezes.  My best friend and I had received instructions to take our flotation safety rings, to be sensible, stay close to shore, and come home for lunch.   

            I thought I’d try a new way of entering the water.   I threw in my circular floatie, walked down the steps to the sea.  On impulse I positioned myself and dived neatly and precisely from the steps, through the centre of the floating circle. (I knew it was deep enough). 

            The dive was precise, but a gentle wave drifted and one of my feet did not clear the circle.  

There I hung ‘head first’ underwater unable to shake my foot free.    I squirmed and wriggled but the sea kept washing the floatie back holding my hooked ankle bone.

        Terrified, I kicked wildly with my free leg which only seemed to make the situation worse.

          HELP!     My desperate cry was like a prayer to One who at this time of life I kinda believed was there but was still not really certain.   

           I was drifting into darkness like a drowning sleep but I remember feeling a change,    The wind must have freshened and stirred up the sea because a higher wave lifted the floating ring completely off my foot and I was FREE. 

          I summoned all my strength and with a peace I can’t explain twisted my body and rose to the surface into glorious sunshine.   Gulping, gasping, my hand encountered the ring and I held on and drifted to the steps. 

          I sat on those stone steps for a long, long time heaving up salt water and catching back my depleted breath.

           My friend Jan   was angry.’  Don’t scare me like that.  I knew you were under the water holding your breath but this time you were too long. Please don’t ever do it again.’

          I kept the truth of this incident in my heart and told no one until many summers had passed.   I loved the sea and was afraid my childhood freedom would be curtailed,  

          I believed later I learnt valuable God lessons that day.    1. I was to be carefully sensible, and 2,  I was to diligently search for and find the God who gave me such PEACE and the Strength to ride my bike home on an extremely hot and humid day.     

           I learnt later too as an adult that when we have a Relationship with the Saviour as His Child , one of the most powerful prayers we can pray after surrendering  our  hearts and life to HIM.is HELP!

            He alone has the answer to what is for our best, according to HIS WILL!.      

             An innocent child’s prayer still resonates in me today.  Father in You I trust.

                                           H  E   L   P!