In Praise of Swimming Lessons

Hello Friends,

I think I was about 8 when my mom took me to the Frederick Municipal Pool.  The purpose for this summer morning visit was to begin my first ever swimming lessons.  The goal with the lessons was simple: learn to swim well enough in week to be able to pass from the shallow to the deep part of the pool unaided.  My lessons slowly progressed through the remedial steps of aquatic competency: put your face in the water, blow bubbles, float, kick your feet while holding onto the side, etc.  Slowly but surely I moved through the paces of learning and, by Friday’s final lesson, could swim well enough to navigate safely through the places where the water was over my head.  Pretty common kid stuff.

A summer or two later I was fishing with my uncle on the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York.  My mom and sister were with us as we fished in the beautiful sunshine.  I don’t remember much about that day other than a single event.  I can distinctly remember calling to my mother to “watch me cast” off the stern of the boat.  I placed my foot on the top of the boat’s rear railing so as to secure the best possible position (in my mind) for casting.  The next memory I have is of the cold water all around me!

I guess my foot slipped on the wet surface of the boat’s edge as I cast; I was myself cast into the deep.  I fell headfirst into the water right next to the prop of the vessel’s motor.  (It wasn’t running at the time.)  My head, shoulder, and back were slightly scraped, but other than that, I was perfectly fine.  I bobbed back to the surface and was beginning to tread water just as my Uncle Bruce dove into the water after me.  The entire event took place quickly and was almost immediately a point of humor.  I was fine but was kept well back of the stern!

I relate those two stories because of the teaching series I’ve been giving at theBridge for the last couple of months.  I’ve been teaching on the disappointment we feel when following God just doesn’t seem to “work.”  We’ve been moving through the experiences of Job – the clearest example of one who “did everything right” and still had life totally fall apart.  As I’ve worked through the messages, we recently arrived at a place in the study where we looked at the up side of down times.  I’m convinced, because of the deep goodness of God’s heart, that in even the most insidious of circumstances, the Lord is able to bring a measure of redemption and life to us as we wait for the breakthrough of full restoration. 

In this line of thinking, one of greatest blessings that emerges from pain is an accurate picture of what truly lies deep within our hearts.  Plainly, it is in adversity that we begin to apprehend both the condition and content of our own beliefs and character.  Admittedly, this is an uncomfortable proposition, but one that I believe to be entirely true.  Said another way, how much of who I really am is revealed when I am in total comfort and ease?  Little.  Fire proves the purity of metal.

Given that difficulty and trial are part of our human experience post Eden and pre-Christ’s return, I have a constant task.  In the analogy of swimming, I have many more lessons to take.  There are more strokes to learn, training session on technique to participate in, and seemingly endless laps to increase my endurance.  All of these prepare me for the next unexpected fall from the boat.  I (actually “we”), should learn all we can about how to swim; and we must learn it before we need to use our skills in a real crisis.  When life (or the Enemy, or our own sin-filled decisions) drops us into water well over our heads, we want to know how to tread and how to stroke through the waves.  Then is not the time to start learning!

How much are you learning right now?  Are you “in the pool” or are you resting on your towel, confident you’re strong enough?  There is a subtle deception that many (including me) fall into thinking: “I’m fine.  I don’t really need to look long or hard at my own heart.  I’m sure I’ll be fine with a storm hits.”  Friends, I’ve been looking at myself lately and I’m not real excited about what I see.  I’ve noticed in the last three weeks or so that even small trials or setbacks have had the capacity to bring out of me harshness, unkind words, and self-pity.  (I’ve recently described my behavior to theBridge family as me just being a “stinker!”)  I’ve heard the words of Proverbs 24:10 in my mind over and over: “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” (ESV).   I’ve been a bit faint; and, the struggles I’ve been dealing with look nothing like Job’s.  This to me has been a wake-up call.  I need to head to the pool in earnest just case I fall (or are thrown) overboard again!

How about you?  Are you preparing yourself for the potential of a difficult season?  Are you in the pool?  There’s so much work involved in the training, but having your head bob above the water when a wave throws you from the deck is a pretty good feeling.  Storms are not optional.  Swimming lessons are.

Thanks for reading.  I hope you’re enjoying your summer.  I’m heading out to work on my butterfly; see you soon!

-Tim

 

 

 

Comments

[smc]

Very aptly put Tim...and it's wise to learn to swim in a pool where there are no waves, currents, or undertow that you have to deal with. Your note so perfectly described what I have been going through the last year. I thought I was prepared and dealing with Timmy's death....and we have been-one step at a time...but someone moved us from the "pool" to the "ocean" and in the ocean there are WAVES....and life has been coming at us in waves in the last 14 months. I've been asking the Lord why allowing Timmy to leave us hasn't been enough...have we done something "right" or something "wrong" to have to walk these other paths...where is the lesson? When can we stop having to learn? More than once I've checked my heart condition...my level of faith (or lack thereof???) ...and in the end decided that having to stay close to the Shepherd isn't a bad place to be...He can teach me to tread water, to stay strong while I'm learning new strokes, to encourage me to reach the other side, and most of all, to throw me a life preserver when I can't keep going...thanks for your word...

[NLT]

Pastor Tim:

Such a good word!

I had swimming lessons from my oldest sister; she cast me into the deep and it was swim or drown and after going down for the third time, I realized she was serious. Thank God some things have improved over the years. :)

Preparation - it seems we spend our entire lives preparing for one thing or another and yet there have been many experiences in my life that I could never have prepared for. I personally believe the only preparation that will get me through any circumstance in this life is beholding the beauty of my savior knowing that he will see me thru to the other side. Sometimes it just seems too simple and then again maybe it really is.