Keeping Safe - Reflection by Dean Sue

One of the tragedies of the hot weather was the death of so many people through water based activities. In the North West up until Monday there have been ten fatalities through drowning.
 
Last Sunday, 25 July, was the United Nations World Drowning Prevention Day. According to the United Nations web-site (www.un.org), ‘this global advocacy event serves as an opportunity to highlight the tragic and profound impact of drowning on families and communities.’
 
It is so easy on a hot day to jump into cold water, but there are so many dangers with open water. There are currents not visible from the bank, there are objects beneath the surface and there are the tides that catch people out. The Royal Life Saving Society UK (www.rlss.org.uk) on its website talks about Drowning Prevention Week which happens in June. They want people to enjoy the water safely.
 
For many families life will never be the same after the death of a loved one through drowning. The suddenness of a death through drowning will take families a long time to come to terms with the death of a loved one.  Grieving the loss of a son, daughter sibling, husband or wife will be hard. Life will be empty and the unfairness crippling. We in the Christian faith believe that at times like this Christ walks with us in the darkness. We often don’t see the hand of God at the time, but as we look back we see a guiding hand offering us comfort and peace.
 
Life is a gift from God, to be lived fully and God wants us to enjoy life, but not by living dangerously or by putting others lives in dangers. Water is such a powerful symbol in the Christian faith. It has good qualities. Without water we could not live. Our body weight is made up of 60 percent water and we need to drink at least eight glasses of water a day or around 2-3 litres of water depending on body weight. Without water we dehydrate and we will eventually die. We also use water to wash and to clean ourselves. In our journey of faith as Christians water is used at our baptism to wash us clean from our sins and it enables us to begin a new life in Christ.
 
Water is also, however, dangerous as we hear of the destruction of the world through stories like Noah’s ark. Water can destroy and as we have seen through the floods in Europe and London over the past weeks water can wreak havoc in people lives and ultimately water can be the cause of death.
 
So this summer as you enjoy the warm weather remember that water is double edged, we need it to live and flourish, but water also brings sadness and destruction. Follow some of the guidance on water safety. A good starting point is the RNLI web-site (www.rnli.org)
 
Please stay safe this summer and please enjoy the beauty of water.

Dean Sue

While you're here:
Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html.