I remember seeing the movie Jaws when I was a child. I was scared of the water, all water, even baths, for YEARS. I know that learning how to swim was a miracle for me.

I must have just gotten over my water fear the summer or so before I learned how to swim.

I mention that to say that I understand what it is to be afraid of the water. Black people have historical fear of the water. This crippling fear leads to thinking about not knowing how to swim all the time. Or thinking about dying all the time, huh?

This kind of fear takes faith to overcome. I will never forget when I made the decision to go in the deep water for the first time. Deep water was the last barrier to my really learning to swim. I remember thinking, “what’s the worse that could happen? I could drown. But I don’t think that’s going to happen. .. ” That was faith. And I’ve looked at swimming as a gift from God ever since.

If you can’t swim, and all you ever think about when you’re near water is dying, you can overcome that fear. God has not given us a spirit of fear. If you ask Him, He can free you from that fear. Then you can go on, free from that fear, free to live your life. Just ask Him.