Relational Fog

July 2, 2014

In July 1952, Florence Chadwick waded into the waters off Catalina Island. Her goal was to swim the Channel to the coast of California. The numbing cold of the water hit her; she could barely see the boat that accompanied her in the dense fog. Several times during her swim, a rifle was fired to keep sharks away. She swam for 15 hours.

Florence was no stranger to long distance swimming. She had been the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. But this day, all she could see was the fog. She was exhausted, and felt discouraged.

Her trainer encouraged her to keep going, but Florence gave up, less than a kilometer from her goal! In the interview after the swim, she was quoted as saying, “If I had only been able to see the land, I might have been able to make it.” Two months later, she was successful and set a new speed record in the process.

The fog kept Florence Chadwick from her goal. How about you? “Relational fog” can be anything that distracts you from your goal of a deep and enduring relationship, things like busyness, exhaustion, discouragement or financial pressures.

Action: Evaluate together: What “relational fog” is keeping you from an intimate and growing relationship? Evaluate the extent to which busyness, exhaustion, discouragement or financial pressures are creating fog in your relationship. What is one step you can take to “clear the fog”?