Meditation Metaphor: Swimming Lessons

I'm not a swimmer.

I never learned how to swim as a child.  I remember taking a single swimming lesson at the local pool.  When the teacher had us put our faces down into the water and count to 5, and then to 10, and so on, I panicked.

As a child with chronic breathing problems, the idea of not being able to inhale whenever I wanted to was frightening.  I was scared my body would gasp for breath without me being able to control it, because that was a daily occurrence in my life when my face wasn't immersed in water.

I was so unnerved by the thought that I panicked and threw a major fit.  For some reason, my parents let me drop out of the swimming class and never made me try it again.

My son, though, did take swimming lessons, and we did make him stick with it after the initial panic passed.

Once he learned the basics of swimming, he took to the pool like a fish.

He had asthma problems as a kid he said the humidity of the indoor pool somehow made him feel better.  I found that odd, since my own breathing problems (not asthma) make me feel like I'm suffocating if I'm in an enclosed pool for very long.

As a result, I have tended to stay away from pools and the water, while my son, Cody, loves swimming.

He took swimming lessons for several years and became increasingly good at it.  He seemed more relaxed and in his element in the water than out of it.

He loved it so much and became so good at it that he became a lifeguard when he was 15, which was his entry point into an enduring attraction to jobs - both paid and volunteer - as a firefighter, emergency first responder, security guard, and the like.  On more than one occasion his experience as a lifeguard has come in handy when responding to rescue situations at lakes and rivers.


For many people, getting used to spending time in the Word are is as difficult as spending time in the water has been for me. They're put off or even panicked by their first experiences.

• The somewhat archaic language of even the newer translations can be intimidating to some
• For some people who don't read much at all beyond a headline of an article or blog, reading the scriptures just seems like too much effort
•  Others dive into the Word, only to be put off by what they see as all the do's and don't's of the Bible.  As one person told me, "every things I read just gives me more reasons why God should be mad at me."
• Many people are like I was with my early swimming lessons.  They have a negative experience with reading the Bible and never want to go back and try it again.  And no one forces them to try again.  The entire programming of many churches actually encourages members to rely on the preacher and other leaders to do the reading, digesting and distributing of scriptural truth.  

What people fail to realize in what they're missing by giving scripture meditation another try.

You don't have to become a theologian. You don't have to understand even most of what you're reading. Just as with learning to swim, there are ways to ease yourself into it.

• Step into the wading pool and simply read the scriptures in manageable sections.
    
• Read  to get a feeling for the heart of God.  What does He like?  What does He not like?
  
• Choose carefully which sections of the Bible to begin when you're just learning to read it.  The Psalms and the Gospels are the best places to begin.  Proverbs can also be a good book for early readers.  Stay away from most of the Old Testament at first.
  
• Find a fellow Christian whose heart you trust.  Ask them questions when you get bogged down or begin to panic about something you're reading.
  
• Make a habit of your reading.  Schedule it.  Gradually increase the duration and frequency of the time you spend in scriptures. The more time you spend in the Word, the easier it will become.  Like learning to swim, you become acclimated your surroundings and learn to become more comfortable in deeper waters.

The more you meditate on the Word, the deeper you go, the deeper your relationship with the Lord will go. Your heart will begin to align with His heart.  You'll soon discover you love jumping into the Word with Him.

For in him we live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:28)

Stick with it long enough and you'll not only become comfortable in the Word, you'll also discover yourself able to be a guide to others, using your knowledge and experience in the scriptures to lead others into a deeper relationship with Him.

Those Christians who have been your teachers and mentors and question-answer-ers began where you began, stepping their toes carefully into the Word. Now they're lifeguards and first responders for others who are just learning to experience God.

Keep going deeper and you'll find yourself becoming just like them.