At camp this past summer, I decided to participate in a challenging swim in a lake. It’s called the Cherry Swim because we swim from the shore of the lake to a little island called Cherry Island and back. When I’d done this swim with other campers in the past, it was really hard. I got tired, and it was hard to breathe.

This year, as the swim started, the same thing happened. I was frustrated because I wanted to finish the swim, so I decided to pray. I go to a Christian Science Sunday School, where I learn about God, so it was natural for me to turn to God for help.  

Hymns have always helped me when I’ve prayed before, so as I swam, I sang a hymn that I know from the Christian Science Hymnal. It begins, “Shepherd, show me how to go / O’er the hillside steep” (Mary Baker Eddy, No. 304). To me that means that God will help us whenever we need Him—even when we’re swimming. (The camp I go to is a camp for Christian Scientists, so I felt comfortable praying and singing out loud.)