Swimming Lessons, Life Jackets and Life...

I love water! It’s amazing how drawn I am to bodies of water, but as much as I love water, I am scared of swimming as much as I desire to, but not exactly scared of shallow ends of pools. I just haven’t gotten comfortable with the fact that you can let your legs go and wade through something. There’s such a comfort in having your feet firmly placed on solid ground.

I turned thirty and I wanted to do life, one of the ways was by finally stepping up to take swimming lessons. I wouldn’t journey round the world or go on many vacations that come my way only to stay in the shallow end, holding on to the edge of the pool, I plan on swimming a lot more. That’s what I say before each bold step to start a swimming lesson that never seems to find completion with me.

I felt pretty confident about this particular class, this was it, the year I would finally race a fish and show it a trick or two. We were using a life jacket to start with; my teacher said I was doing really well… I did laps across the pool, which was progress; me not freaking out that my legs couldn't find the ground because I’m at the deep end was progress indeed.

My teacher was quite impressed, his name was Amos, I would believe that I was quite impressionable with my beginners skills in a life jacket, but you see Amos seemed to like me a notch higher than usual, so that made me doubt and imagine that he was just trying to make me feel good. I liked Amos too, he was a good, reassuring teacher and I compelled myself to trust him because I knew the day would come when he would take the life jacket off during my training, I wanted to have someone who liked me, and who thought that there was a possibility that I felt the same way about him beside me then.

Unfortunately I gave up too soon on swimming and never got to the stage of taking off the jacket.. because well, i wasn't so confident on how i would survive without my life jacket on.

Whenever i see this picture, i try to make myself believe I was right in the middle of the ocean... and not some pool.

So the main gist about my swimming lesson gist is this… You know, life is like a big big ocean, and just like you can’t possible swim non-stop across oceans in your own strength, you can’t swim through life on your own, you will cramp up, crash and burn, then drown. That’s why God threw us the ultimate life jacket…. The cross is our saving grace, the sacrifice of the cross. Stop struggling against the tide and just wear the life jacket of salvation… Jesus!

That’s what keeps you afloat, and growing in this salvation gives you strength to not just go with the tides or as the ocean tosses you about, but you grow in power through the Holy spirit, getting filled daily in the place of worship, praying in the Holy ghost. And then you swim, you move. You move your hands and legs and you’re not stagnant or just taking what life gives you, the tides of life don’t toss you about, you in power show it where you want to go, swim against it. You are meant to be a power filled Christian.

Letting go of the edge of the pool and dear Amos was such a struggle for me, but it took me overcoming the fear that came over me, to realize that when I let myself go, that's when I float, the effectiveness of the life jacket is seen/manifested. I could not sink as long as I had my life jacket on. False perception and fear would give every reason to believe, rationale would make me believe that the instant I let go of my human clutch Amos, is the moment I sink. But I conquered that fear and found myself confidently swimming to the deep end of the pool, just me and my life jacket. Let go to Jesus and you lose everything, (i.e cool factor, street cred and all) we've been made to believe;. But you’re only just starting in all those things.

The reality of Christ is even much more than a life jacket… HE doesn’t just keep you afloat… that’s like barely surviving… He puts you above… walking on water.

I learned to not just float with the life jacket but to ‘swim’ or a semblance of swimming anyway from one end of the pool to another... I wasn’t just in one place. I went to the deep end! I dared it to sustain me. We hold on to relationships, money, fame etc and we lose those things easily. But in doing life with God, letting go of all and holding on to Him, we gain all.

Seek first the kingdom of God and all other things will be added to you. It’s time to stop seeking God as an afterthought… put Him first place.

 “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. “ Mark 8:35 NLT

We have an advantage as one with God... but most times, we Christians don’t take this advantage, we prefer to just float in a spot or go wherever the waves tosses us… when we can choose to swim in the direction we want, even to the deep end and even walk on water figuratively by using the supply of Gods Spirit for wisdom and witty inventions in our businesses, marriages, offices/organizations etc.

Christ is a life jacket that does more than keep you afloat. Jump into the waters of His salvation and the supply of His Spirit and do exploits.  

(But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to EVERY man to profit withal. I Corinthians 12:7)

And if you’re already wearing this jacket, then kick your legs, and better still move your arms as well and swim to greatness, you were not saved into stagnation and unproductivity.

Some people are just Christian enough to avoid hell. They know without salvation its hell, so they’re just floating Christians, like they know without a life jacket they’d sink, they don’t make efforts to grow in the truth of what they believe, the joy of knowing God, the peace and the Power they have. Its fear of hell and nothing more. Yes they’d make heaven but why not enjoy life now? Why not take advantage of the audacity we have with this reliable life-jacket on? I use the word reliable, because others have found other life jacket imitations to help them through life, but none is as reliable and fail proof as Jesus…. The authentic one!

God is waiting on us to do something... and it's not something out of nothing, because He’s already given us everything. He’s given you the life jacket of His salvation as an added advantage to wade through the waters of life… It's something out of something... something out of His grace. Grace is there, grab a slice and BE something, build on its foundation and stand out... that’s how we take over, from the springboard of this grace, not laying on lounge chairs with straw hats and drinks with little umbrellas waiting for something to happen. Kick your legs and move your arms and get moving, dare the deep end… God’s got you.