I didn't put on flippers that weren't mine...or flippers at all. But swimming has been the only exercise I've been cleared to do pre-physical therapy, and after two months of having to be mostly sedentary, I've taken to the water like a....simile sinking like Jack in Titanic.
I've always loved the water, but I've never been formally trained with athletic swimming, so I reached out for tips and tricks. The boyfriend of a girl in my community group was shockingly intuitive with his advice...never having seen me swim, he hit the nail on the head.
As with most things in the world's natural operation, spiritual parallels abound. I don't think God created the world as He did or spoke in parables for nothing....it's in these pictures of the Christian life that I'm able to more deeply understand His principles and how to walk with Him and shift my perspective on something like, say, for purely hypothetical example, swimming, into an opportunity to dwell on "...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable."
Tip 1:Breathe
I don't know if you've discovered this, but you can't do much for very long without breathing, especially physical activity. The more breath you inhale, the greater capacity your body has to do what you're asking it to do. C'es la vie.
Similarly, in a spiritual sense, the more you abide in Christ, the more ability you have to live out the life God designed you to live. Without regularly "breathing in" good, healthy air, you're going to get tired, then dizzy, then unconscious, and then dead. We can't do anything on our own, and we weren't made to try. John 15:5-8
Tip 2:Watch That Form
Form is a drag(ha!). It would be nice to just mindlessly glide through the water without thinking about the position of your legs, tightness of your abs, entry angle of arms into the water, your hand and finger tension, angle of your head etc. However, it takes more discipline and practice than I can fathom to get to a place where you don't have to consciously think through copious factors. Even then, you'll never really get to zone out, but it might feel like less of a fight to keep track of everything. Without proper form, you can move faster and feel like you're getting somewhere, but you're exhausted. If you're deliberate, slower, more controlled movements equal more ground made.
In the same way, it's a daily battle to be committed to the disciplines of studying Scripture, prayer, fellowship, service, accountability, etc., but without them, you're splashing the water with no forward movement. You can absolutely try to follow God on your own power, but you will end up exhausted and find that you lost ground. 1 Timothy 4:8-10
Tip 3: Keep Your Head Down
It's tempting in a lane in a pool of water to look forward along the bottom of the pool or even to the wall. But when you do so, your neck cranes forward, arching your body and creating drag in the water as well as putting you at an awkward angle to turn your head and breathe.
It's also tempting to look forward to tomorrow, wondering what it will bring, pondering the different ways we could manipulate our lives to feel a little more in control. But Scripture instructs us to not be anxious about anything in life for tomorrow has enough anxieties of its own. In expending energy for tomorrow, we miss what's right in front of us and rob ourselves of the ability to be fully present and to contribute to the glory of God today. Matthew 6:33-34
I could go on about kickboards and how His love keeps us afloat or goggles and the ability to see in an unfamiliar environment, but then I would reveal what I am- the chiefest of over-thinkers. It may seem silly, but I'm just thankful that God is present and making Himself known in the most seemingly irrelevant places. I pray that every moment of every day turns my affections toward Him, and I pray the same for you.
Just keep swimming, folks.
No comments:
Post a Comment