God is calling us to swim and not merely wade in the ocean of life. In the shallow water, we tend to feel in control because we can touch the bottom. If you go down to the ocean and watch the people's experience, most prefer just to wade in the ocean, experiencing some of the ocean while being IN CONTROL by keeping their feet firmly on the bottom. These individuals start out with an ankle-deep experience to one that's knee-deep, then waist-deep and a few, very few immerse themselves sooo-deep that they can no longer touch the bottom at all. These are the ones that truly experience the ocean and all it has to offer.

So it is with the Christian life. Many people are afraid to jump in because they want to stay IN CONTROL. But God calls all of us to let go of our attempts to control and find the place where we are immersed IN HIM. In the shallow Christian experience, we tend to feel in control, however God is calling us to immerse ourselves In Him.

Most of us want to immerse ourselves in God, but at the same time don't want to lose our control. We want to walk with God on our terms. We will receive God in ankle-deep, knee-deep or waist deep levels of faith. But a faith that requires total immersion is just too scary. We go just so far with God and come short of total immersion. Thus we have a lukewarm experience and a lukewarm church.

It reminds me of a quote from one of my most admired Christian authors, "Almost Christians, yet not fully Christians, they seem near the kingdom of heaven, but they cannot enter there. Almost but not wholly saved, means to be not almost but wholly lost." COL 118.

It sounds like a halfhearted contract where the wader convinces himself that he's a swimmer when in actuality is merely playing in the water. But God is like a good parent coaxing us into the greatest proposition of all life-all of Me for all of You!

If we really want to experience the greatest adventure of life we're going to have to stop wading and immerse ourselves in God! Realizing it's not about being in control-it's about absolute trust!

    Learning to swim,

         Jim & Sally