The Lake (Aviela Groder)

So smooth and clear 

Not a single ripple on the glass like water

It’s peaceful appearance 

Gives me no reason to fear

And it beckons me

Calling me to come near

Offering me a way to escape

The heaviness weighing on my spirit

So I step closer to the shore

Dipping my toe into the cool liquid

Creating small waves

That cascade across the crystal lake 

I take a step further feeling safe

But in an instant I am pulled under

Plunged into the darkness of the deep water

I struggle but I have lost direction

For up and down feel the same

My lungs fill with water 

I gasp for air 

Screaming for help

Wishing someone was there to hear me

My hands are outstretched groping for rescue

Begging to be freed from the jaws of death

Pleading for someone to retrieve me

Eventually I give up struggling

Submitting myself to my surroundings

And as I sink further down 

I wonder how much longer I will drown

I stare up at the lakes surface

I am reminded of the grace and peace I once felt 

That is replaced with numbness and pain

Swallowed up by the lurking darkness

For it is their voice that chants my name

Prepared to face the sentence of death

For this darkness offers no life

And no one was going to save me

But a hand breaks through the lake surface

Reaching so far down

Even into the darkest depths of where I drown

Grasps my hand

And I am found

It pulls out of the deep

Onto a cliff where I can finally breathe

I sputter and gag

Gasping for a breath

The crisp air filling my lungs

The space that the water had possessed

I look up at the man who rescued me

I question why he did

His kind eyes smile at me

As he whispers

“I did it all for you

Every breath I took 

Was so you could have life 

I endured death 

So you wouldn’t have to

I rescued you because you are mine

And no darkness has a hold on you”

He placed his nail scarred hand on my shoulder

Showing me the view from the cliff where we stood

How perfect the lake seemed from here

How welcoming and peaceful it appeared

But I turn away from the lake

Knowing what hides in the murky water

And no longer feeling dragged down

In the hands of my savior

I feel found

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A little bit about Aviela...

I'm a recent high school graduate passionate about health and wellness, and I love investing in my community. My favorite activities include worship, cooking, babysitting, writing poetry, and going on walks. I’m especially inspired by Esther from the Bible—her story encourages me to faithfully follow God’s path, even when it’s challenging.