Of all the triathlons I have done, there is one race I can never forget. It was a Long Course (2 km swim, 50 km bike, and 15 km run) near Huntsville, Ontario.
Since it was early in the racing season, I didn’t have time to practice swimming in open water. We started the race in the water, and we just went when the gun went off. Instead of starting with adrenaline pumping, I was in fear and shock.
The water wasn’t just murky; it was pitch black! Panic kicked in, and I started to hyperventilate. I couldn’t swim. Somehow, I clawed my way back to shore.
This is why, before a triathlon, it is essential to practice swimming in open water. It is not just preparing for the body but for the mind to get used to swimming in total blackness and uncertainty with waves bobbing you up and down.
These days, living in Tanzania, I feel like I am in black water again. There are so many unknowns and uncertainties that even going to town to run an errand makes me pray hard.
Will my car die?
Will I get into an accident?
Will my car roll into a ditch after I park it?
Will my car disappear when I am in the store?
And it is in this black water, as I gulp and crawl around, I am learning to trust in Jesus.
The common phrase Wai Jia and I say to each other is to take one day at a time. Like swimming in black water, we should stay relaxed and focus on one stroke at a time.
In this case, living in Tanzania, I am learning (more like re-learning) to trust in Jesus. Trusting in Jesus doesn’t mean that my car will never die or that I will never have any issues. Instead, we must trust in Jesus amidst all these problems that we may will face.
Jesus warned us that the storm would come into our lives. It is not a matter of whether it will come; it is a matter of when.
I want to be like a wise man that follows Jesus’ teachings. I am the first to admit it is not easy. Many people think we are some great missionaries, but I am re-learning what it means to follow Jesus again. Can I live without worrying about tomorrow? I am learning. Living in Tanzania is learning to trust in Jesus over and over again.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”
Matthew 7:24-25 (NIV)
