My Favorite Floaties

"I'm drowning, Amber. I can't do it. I can't keep my head above water." My voice cracked and I tried not to cry on the phone. How humiliating would that be? A grown man breaking down like a child talking to his fiancé. I was nearing the end of my first semester of law school. I was living alone in a small one bedroom apartment, and my closest family member lived four hours, and one state away. I didn't attend the most prestigious law school in the country, not even by a long shot, which made my struggles with the curriculum all the more frustrating.
To give myself some credit, it wasn't really the curriculum, as much as the volume of the curriculum. The reading assignments never let up. Never. In undergrad, I could "buckle down," read ahead a little, and be just fine. In law school I felt like "Johnny 5" from the 1986 movie, "Short Circuit," and I still couldn't keep up. See the video below if you've not seen that cinema classic...

I was strongly considering dropping out, giving up, and going home. Maybe I could coach baseball. I did make some pretty mean cookies at the Great American Cookie Company, while trying to pay my way through undergrad. I could always give cookie cake decorating another whirl.
Somehow Amber had talked me off the ledge that night on the phone, and I stayed. A few days later, I received a medium sized cardboard box in the mail. I quickly tore open the box and found candies, a note, and what looked like yellow arm floaties that kids use when learning to swim. Some people call them "arm bands,” “water wings,” or “swimmies,” but they were arm floaties to me growing up. At first I thought maybe I had opened some poor kids mail by accident. Oh well, I'm keeping the candy, kid. But then I came across a note, and although admittedly I don't recall the exact wording, it was Amber's beautiful handwriting with a note of encouragement to "use the floaties to keep myself from drowning." It was just what I needed.
I stayed enrolled for the next three years, and I graduated.To this day, I've kept the floaties. They sit on the top shelf of my closet as a reminder. They remind me I'm stronger than I give myself credit for. They remind me that if I work hard and apply myself and I don't give up, I can accomplish great things. They remind me how far I've come. The greatest reminder however is that my favorite "floaties" aren't the yellow inflatables in the picture above. My favorite floaties are the people God has strategically placed in my life to keep me from drowning. Namely among those, the love of my life...wherever she might be. I kid, I kid. Namely among those, the love of my life, Amber.
That's a big job for just one lady though, because I’m a big man and only a mediocre swimmer, so God provided many others. My mom, the single mother who always put my needs as a child before her own, my dad that I only saw Wednesday evenings and every other weekend growing up, but that always showed unconditional love to everyone he came into contact with. It was also my grandparents who came to ballgames, took me on trips, and made me always feel like a part of the larger family. It was coaches, teachers, and neighbors in my hometown. It was a man named Bill Hampton, an attorney, who took me under his wing when I clerked for his law firm before and during law school. It was Greeley Wells and Bruce Duggins, former bosses who took a chance on me despite having little prior experience, and a mediocre resume. It's everyone who has believed in me, and breathed love and life into me. Everyone who encouraged me. Everyone who has kept me from drowning.
Have you ever heard of Barnabas in the bible? Probably not. I hadn't until about a year or two ago when I committed to a serious study of the bible with a group of amazing men. Barnabas was a cool cat. He was not independently a person of individual significance or importance. His significance, importance, and the major role he played, in my humble opinion, was his unmatched ability to encourage and support all those he came into contact with. Most notably, he befriended Paul. Paul who was previously known as "Saul,” the man who was once a persecutor of believers. Paul had a blinding experience with the Lord while traveling on a road, and Barnabas encouraged him to share that experience and the story of Jesus with others. Barnabas risked his own reputation and wellbeing to encourage and support Paul. Check out the full story of Barnabas and Paul in the book of Acts sometime.
So, be like Barnabas...love, support, and encourage your family, your friends, your neighbor, your coworkers, dare I say...even your enemies.Who knows, you might be the one who keeps them from drowning. You might just be their favorite floaties.
Much Love, Adam