Religion is one of the few things which I simply do not have the patience or diligence to understand. Having been brought up a Roman Catholic and receiving a catholic education my entire life, I still find myself wrestling with certain aspects of my religion. While I am not entirely a devout man, I fervently believe in God; every time I swim, I could feel His presence.
Quoting Eric Liddell from the movie Chariots of Fire, "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure." Minus the running part, that is exactly how I feel. Whenever I swim fast, I can almost see God smiling with delight and glee. After all, He made a swimmer. It is only right that I glorify Him through the blessing which He has given me. Yet, I feel His presence and pleasure not just when I swim fast but rather when I am simply in the pool, swimming.
Whenever I push off the wall for a sprint-endurance set, the sound of rushing water filling my ears, I could hear Him whispering, telling me to swim faster and use every ounce of my strength to get my target times. During the split second wherein I am suspended in the air after launching myself off the starting block, the calm I feel is His presence slowly washing away the anxieties I feel and replacing them with competitive fire. When I am so fatigued in the 200 meters butterfly, I hear His soothing yet commanding voice telling me to hold on and continue fighting, tooth and nail, to reach the wall. Whenever I look over the time panels and find out that I did not get my best time, I can feel His comforting arm drape over my shoulders as if telling me that I need not be too hard on myself; I swam, fought and raced with every bit of grit I had and for Him that is already something to be proud of.
On more than one occasion, I have doubted my religion. In fact, with everything that is happening around my community, I am afraid that I am losing my religion. Yet, as I grapple with the doubts and reservations I have, my faith in God is adamant. He has been with me as I swam competitively for 12 years. I am sure that even after hanging up my LZR Racers and Fast Skins, He will always be with me, silently pushing me to keep on swimming fast or at least try to swim fast again.
Finding God in all things has been one of the lessons I learned way back in grade school which I have always carried with me. It is only appropriate that I found God in swimming.
Take Your Mark!
Whenever I push off the wall for a sprint-endurance set, the sound of rushing water filling my ears, I could hear Him whispering, telling me to swim faster and use every ounce of my strength to get my target times. During the split second wherein I am suspended in the air after launching myself off the starting block, the calm I feel is His presence slowly washing away the anxieties I feel and replacing them with competitive fire. When I am so fatigued in the 200 meters butterfly, I hear His soothing yet commanding voice telling me to hold on and continue fighting, tooth and nail, to reach the wall. Whenever I look over the time panels and find out that I did not get my best time, I can feel His comforting arm drape over my shoulders as if telling me that I need not be too hard on myself; I swam, fought and raced with every bit of grit I had and for Him that is already something to be proud of.
On more than one occasion, I have doubted my religion. In fact, with everything that is happening around my community, I am afraid that I am losing my religion. Yet, as I grapple with the doubts and reservations I have, my faith in God is adamant. He has been with me as I swam competitively for 12 years. I am sure that even after hanging up my LZR Racers and Fast Skins, He will always be with me, silently pushing me to keep on swimming fast or at least try to swim fast again.
Finding God in all things has been one of the lessons I learned way back in grade school which I have always carried with me. It is only appropriate that I found God in swimming.
Take Your Mark!
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