Swimming in Both Ends

My family and I love, love , love to swim. When the weather gives just a hint of warm sunshine...we are digging out our bathing suits. When we swim, we don't just float around in the shallow. We go for the deep end! That is where you can really dive to the bottom, see who can get there and back the fastest, dive in, flip in, slide in...well, you get the picture. Staying in the shallow end serves a purpose too. It is where we can ease ourselves in when it is just a little chilly to "get used" it. We can play games such as "categories" and have extra speed to get across to the other side. One of my favorites was to do handstands! It is also in the shallow in that we can talk to one another and enjoy the leisure of a relaxing swim. There is something about swimming that is so repairative after a long day.

The shallow end is fun, but so is the deep end. The thing about both ends is that if you are there to long, you can either become bored with the sameness of not going deeper and having more options to explore, and going deeper requires a lot of hard work. After treading for a long time, our legs become very tired, and begin to pull us down or cramp, which is no fun either.

I have found that my spiritual life can be like swimming. Sometimes I have had to ease in to the word and "get used" to the temperature that was being spoken to me, and other times I have jumped right in to the refreshment of the fun and adventure. I find that when I stay in the shallow end with my relationships with other people it can become boring and stale. I am one that likes to go deeper, but sometimes there are people who prefer to just bounce the volleyball in the shallow end. Maybe they don't want to explore anything more than swap recipes, exercise tips, what school activities that worked the best for them, or where they shop for their kids clothing.

On the other hand, if I have a friend who only wants to go to the deep end, then we miss the fun in what our favorite recipes are, our favorite movies or restaurants. I was wired to think analytically, but sometimes being in the deep end for too long can wear me out. My brain feels like it is always on overdrive, and I forget that it is a good thing to hang out in the shallow end too. I love good music that we can dance to. I love lazy strolls through the park or downtown. I love good desserts and an occasional break to the movies.

Being in the deep end is such hard work, but it is where I have grown the most. I have cried the most and ached the most in the deep end...but it is where I have found the most treasure. A treasure chest always lies at the bottom of the ocean, not on the surface. You have to swim deep to find what you are looking for, but once the cramping sets in you have to decide whether or not you are going to run back to the shallow end or go to the side and take a breather.

Jesus didn't ask the disciples to cast their nets out into the shallow end. He said to go out into the DEEP and let down their nets. It is where the fish where at. The fish that were in the shallow end would have been the minnows and tadpoles, not the good stuff. If we are willing to go into the deep, we have to be prepared to know how to swim (have a relationship with Christ), and know how to keep treading (through faith and the word) and when to take a rest ("Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest" Mark 6:30)

Are you shortchanging yourself by only swimming in the shallow end with your relationship with Christ and/or others? Or are you diving into the deep with them?

Are you only swimming in the deep and forgetting to take a rest and enjoy the shallow waters for a while?

What do you need to do to swim to the other end?

Lord, I ask that you help me to know when it is time to switch ends and not get caught up in the shallowness of life and when it is time to plunge in the deep. Help me to not judge those who may not be in the same end as me, but to respect their journey and where you have them.