The art is something I drew a couple of years ago called “Afloat”. As you can see, the man is floating in his own tears. Ya. That’s a real pick-me-upper. But hey! I was going through a tough time. But you wouldn’t know about that.

I compare the art of living spiritually to the art of floating. Can you float in water? I mean… everyone can float if they know how. What I mean is, do you know how to float in water?

It’s very easy. You can look it up. I’m going to give you 3 easy steps:

1. SHED HEAVINESS: Don’t wear your army boots and down winter coat into the water. Although you can float with clothes on, it’s much easier and safer without clothes. Swimsuit. And don’t carry things like your family bible or a concrete block or your mother-in-law. Just you. And don’t get all sad and depressed. Did you know one of the key ingredients for survival is hope? Always always always hope.
2. TRUST: Technically everyone can float. But you have to trust that you can. And you don’t have to be in the Dead Sea, so full of salt that you can’t sink. You can even float in rough water. This is the intrinsic right of all human beings… to be able to float. Trust the water. Trust your mind, your lungs, your body. You aren’t going to sink to the bottom of the sea. You can float.
3. RELAX: The most important skill to acquire for floating is the ability to relax. You actually rest your head back as if you’re lying down on a pillow. You let your feet dangle. You fill your lungs with air and breathe shallow. You image a string attached from the sky to your bellybutton pulling it up out of the water. If your feet sink too much stretch your hands behind you over your head in the water to balance out your body weight. Simple as that. Now float. Relax. You can do this forever.

The same applies to our spiritual lives.

1. SHED HEAVINESS: I’m one to talk, but it’s true. I’m responsible for my own spirituality and no one else’s and no one else is responsible for mine. I’m going to shed everything that is not necessary and keep only that which is. I don’t need a huge heavy bible. I’m not going to wear concrete boots because I’m guilty and deserver to die. I’m not going to allow the negative voices of others to pull me down. I’m going to always hope because I deserve to live, and to live well.
2. TRUST: I’m allowed to float! I’m allowed to be happy. It is my human right to live and be happy doing it. I’m not going to be drowned because I’m a bad person, an unintelligent person or a sinful person. I remember the days when I was terrified Jesus was going to come back while I was in a movie theater or while I was masturbating, or that the sins of my fore-fathers would be visited upon me, or that I had some kind of demon for some kind of reason. No! I’m a person who deserves to live and be happy, so I’m going to float. I’m just going to trust that, thank you.
3. RELAX: Oh my, I was raised uptight. Spiritually I was wound so tight you could hear my spirit whining in the wind. I was raised to be anxious and fearful. I was raised to be obsessed with my spiritual condition and to be absorbed in my faith and fixated on the condition of my relationship with the Lord. This is the kind of anxiety that will make me sink. No. Instead, I’m going to just relax. I’m going to lay my head back like on a pillow. I’m going to imaging my body being pulled up to heaven. I’m going to imagine my lungs full of fresh air. I’m going to do this forever. I’m going to relax. I mean, doesn’t the bible say that we are a sabbath people? Yes! Relax.

Go swimming and try it. Just float. Shed heaviness. Trust. Relax.

No go live life and try it. Just float. Shed heaviness. Trust. Relax.

Much love to all my fellow-floaties.