Water is beautiful, but it can also be dangerous. For those who don’t know how to swim, falling in over their head is literally life threatening. Whatever beauty that body of water once held for that person is now replaced with complete dread.

However, just by learning to swim, this beautiful and once dangerous entity is now transformed. It’s beauty expanded, as now it can be more deeply explored. Dread is replaced with delight.

I can’t help but think how much of life is the same way. Yes, there are plenty of dangers, amidst a plethora of delights, but when we are discipled by Jesus, learn His ways, apply His ways, trust His ways, and seek His ways, our life is literally transformed. Temptations still linger, distractions sill call to us, and dangers still exist, but the wisdom of Christ helps guide us, and like the water, we don’t need to fear being taken under and drowning by them. We learn to swim amidst them, and not taken out by them.

We get to help others in their swimming as well, and as I’m learning, there is always capacity to become a more competent and confident swimmer – both in the water and in life.