FLOATING

For several weeks I have been chewing on a recurring mental image: my experience years ago at Porter Pool, learning how to float on my back.

Did you learn the back float too? It is so counter-intuitive. 

If you relax and tilt your head back a bit, keep your chin up, you will find the water will support you. And it is magical. It's like the water is your bed!

But it's so difficult to get to that level of trust for the water. 

The beginning floater sees the water as a threat. And because the water is dangerous, he tries to protect himself. He tries to keep his head up out of the water so he can watch his own toes, to make sure they are near the surface.

As soon as he does, though, down his toes sink and he finds himself flailing about in the water. Maybe even getting a nose full.

I think putting your faith in Jesus is like that. As long as you lay back in his arms, you find that he supports you entirely and you are at peace. It's without effort on your part beyond the posture of your heart.

But if your fear of God - the unhealthy sort of fear - gets the better of you, you take matters into your own hands and then down you go. Flailing.

It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: When you are trusting in your own efforts at self-protection, the water becomes dangerous.