Mixed bathing

The themometer registered 96 degrees at hour house today, rather a scorcher for the last day of what has been an usually hot and dry summer. After visiting three of our Lafayette Church folks at RMC I headed to the YMCA to cool down in the pool. The pool was not crowded with only a half dozen swimmers, three of them being very small children with their mothers.

As I walked into the pool area I was greeted by a pretty young lifeguard. We greeted each other and I dived off the deep end of the pool and began swimming toward my goal of sixteen laps, a half mile, I was told. The water felt good and so did the nice breeze that was striking my body parts that were not submerged in the beautiful clear water.

My goal is to swim at least twice a week, though sometimes other pressing matters take predecence. I often dread hitting the water because it takes a great deal of effort for this 73 year-old to swing my arms and kick my feet to stay on top and move forward. During the summer vacation for the school children I didn't swim very often. It was quite a chore to avoid the children who always manage to get in my way. Sometimes the little children who are having a ball splashing and ducking and standing on their heads ask me if I am having fun. I answer by saying swimming was a lot of fun when I was their age, but now it is not as much fun as it is work. I enjoy teasing them by asking them not to splash water on me because it will get me wet. They look at me rather funny and wonder why I say such crazy things.

This brings me to the subject of mixed bathing. A friend of mine tells about a man at a Baptist Associaiton meeting making a motion that the body go on record opposing mixed bathing. Another gentleman spoke up and said, "And I think we should condemn boys and girls swimming together, too." That day has long past.

Boys and girls swimming together was not a common practice in my country farming community. Often we boys would go swimming in Mud River on Sunday afternoons in the summertime. There were plenty of girls in our community, but they didn't seem to want to swim with us guys. They probably didn't relish the idea of swimming in a river that lived up to its name. Had they gone with us you can be sure not nearly as much of their bodies would be exposed as is true of most girls and women today who take to the water or simply lie soaking up sunshine.

Anway, mixed bathing isn't regarding as such a great sin today. It is not frowned on by the most holy saints as it once was. I can't say I have ever preaching against it. I have preached against sexual lust and sex that is contrary to what God allows. He only condones sex inside of marriage. It is a beautiful gift when practiced as God intended. This is not meant to be a sermon. Having said that, however who can deny that the sexual revolution has negatively impacted our society. This is a much more promiscious generation than previous ones. We live in a sex saturated society. I think this accounts for auch atrocities as many babies being aborted or being born out of wedlock to young girls who cannot possibly take care of them, and many other things that are contrary to a healthy society. I hasten to add that the guys are as guilty as the girls.

I suppose that most men enjoy seeing pretty girls in their skimpy bathing suits. I confess to being guilty. Here is my attempt to deal with the temptation to look too long at their shaply bodies. I try to remember to pray for those girls or ladies. I pray that they will respect their bodies and remain pure. I have no idea if they have already violated God's standards by sinning against their own bodies. I pray that if they have they will stop, confess their sins and determine by the Lord's help to refrain from further sexual activity until they are married. I pray for the married ones to be faithful to their husbands.

I agree that women should dress modestly. You don't have to go to the pool to see those who are dressed inappropiately. Many don't dress like virtuous women wherever they go, so we men need to look the other way.