Summer At The Lake

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

—Psalm 139:14

So here we are again, my favorite time of year, summer at the lake, and the idea of someone—anyone!—seeing me in my swimsuit makes me feel a little anxious. I want to find any and every excuse to stay covered, stay inside, stay invisible.

But if I do that, I’ll miss the best parts of summer. I’ll miss the beach. I’ll miss the breathtaking plunges off the back of the boat into really, really cold water. I’ll miss paddle boarding and boogie boarding. I’ll miss watching Mac float around, kicking his legs with a huge smile on his little face, and I’ll miss racing Henry in the lake from there to there a thousand times in a row.

So this is what I’m going to do: I’m going to swim. I’m going to paddle-board. I’m going to make sand castles and make-believe and make memories with my kids. I’m going to cannonball into the icy lake water. I’m going to live in the body God made me, not because it’s perfect but because it’s mine. And I’m going to be thankful for health and for the ability to run and move and dance and swim.