I didn’t learn to swim until I was a freshman in high school. Admittedly that sounds a bit odd since even babies and toddlers are taught to swim. But for me it was a cosmetic issue. When I was a little girl my mother spent an hour each week straightening and curling my hair. So getting it wet would not have been a wise decision. As I recall, my sister and I were the only little girls on our block that had to wear swim caps while playing in the sprinklers. Yes, it was that serious in the 60’s.When I got to high school, swimming was mandatory so I had to take the plunge. While everyone else was swimming laps back and forth across the pool, I was in the shallow end receiving “special attention”. The first thing I had to learn was how to relax and float. Imagine my delight when I stretched out and found that the water really would hold me up. I was a world-class floater in no time. After that it was on to the business of kicking, stroking and breathing and finally I could swim!
I was reflecting on that experience recently when I realized how much floating is like faith. In order to learn to swim I had to trust that the water would hold me up. Having faith in God requires that we relax and trust Him. Our relationship with Him is built on trust.
The Bible is full of scriptures about faith. Hebrews 11:1 says “Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see” (CEV). The sixth verse of the same chapter says “But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and that he rewards everyone who searches for him.”
Having faith and keeping it is not easy. Having blind faith is contrary to our human nature. Trusting seems too passive – we want to do something.
When Moses and the Israelites stood at the Red Sea with the Egyptians hot on their heels, their faith was really tested. I doubt that standing still was the first thing that came to mind. But Moses told them to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. And it worked!
Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know (recognize and understand) that I am God” (AMP). In order to trust Him, we must know Him. Once we become acquainted with His loving nature it becomes easier to trust Him with every detail of our lives.
Learning to swim was a one-time activity. Walking and growing in faith is different. It is a life-long endeavor, something to be cultivated daily.
In learning to swim I found that floating was a positional matter. I couldn’t just walk out onto the water and expect it to hold me up. I had to lie prone in the water in order to succeed. I have found that having faith is also positional. In order to trust, one must be still, relax. No doubt you’ve heard the cliché’, “let go and let God.” The phrase may be overused, but it really does work. So my advice to you this week is: just float baby, just float!
