What do you think about the title of today's post? If you listen to the Casting Crowns song I posted under this, you'll hear that line. It's another one of those songs that is on my MP3 player and I hear it regularly when I'm working out. That line keeps rolling over and over in my mind. The gist of the song seems to be someone who is on fire for God...but only so hot. "Somewhere between the hot and the cold."
When I first think of having deep water faith in the shallow end, I think of someone who is ready. Ready as they'll ever be (until they actually GET into the deep end). But they think they're ready for whatever life has to throw at them. They're in the shallow end only because they just don't want to be anywhere else right now. But they're ready for the deep end. Or so they think.
But I don't think this is really what the song is getting at
I was reading in the book of John today and I was struck by just how often Jesus was scoffed at. For the most part, it seems that people walking the same ground as Jesus were more apt to think He was a crazy lunatic, than to believe He was the Messiah. Normally, when I think of all the stories of Jesus' life, and how I would have behaved if I were there, I always pictured myself as one of His followers. I mean, knowing what we know now, how could that not be the case...right? Well, today I was struck by the opposite. I was thinking what I would think now if someone were to walk next to me, and say the kinds of things that Jesus said to them. I'd think he was crazy! How in the world could I have had Jesus as my next door neighbor, known His parents and His siblings, watched Him grow up, and yet believed a word He was saying when He started talking about being the "Son of God". I am sure that even to walk beside Jesus, it took some deep water faith to truly believe.
THAT'S the kind of deep water faith I think the song is talking about.
I think it's talking about someone who is so passionate about their faith that nothing they experience on this earth is going to dampen it. They have full-on faith. They are sold out to the Savior. When you look at their life, it doesn't mean it's all a cake walk. But no matter what life throws at them, their faith does not waiver.
There's also the whole idea of having deep water faith out of necessity. You know like...being thrown in before you're really ready but you VERY quickly acquire the faith you need. Kind of like arriving in the deep end of a pool without willingly putting yourself there. Or, you put yourself there willingly...and then the waves come.
Kind of like this: I was at Michigan's Adventure several years ago and, even though I'm not a very strong swimmer I thought, "I can handle the wave pool. It's not so bad." Mind you, the waves were turned off at this point. Also a key to this story: I was in the pool with a friend who was a trained lifeguard. And he knew I wasn't the best swimmer. But he let me do this anyway. What a friend, huh? Anyway, I was swimming in the deepest end of the wave pool with the waves turned off (i.e. calm water) and I was thinking I was actually doing pretty good. (Well, duh!) I thought, "Hey, this isn't so bad! I am a better swimmer than I thought!" And then they turned on the waves. Ruh!-roh Raggy! This girl went from "I'm OK" to "HELP ME!" instantaneously. And my lifeguard friend was of NO use to me at that point. He actually told me to let go of him when I tried to use him as my life preserver. So, I frantically got myself to the side of the pool and started to climb up the ladder. The lifeguard on duty told me, "Sorry, you have to exit in the shallow end." Uh, not if you don't want me to drown I don't!
That was the last time I was ever in a wave pool.
Did I learn something about deep water that day? I learned that I was an OK deep water swimmer, as long as I was on calm water. Me in deep water and waves? Not so much.
I don't know about you, but I don't want to be caught in the middle when it comes to my faith! I don't want to be flapping my arms in the deep end of life! I want to be fully prepared AND fully willing. I pray we can acquire a deep water faith without having to spend too much time in the wavy deep end. But I also know that when life throws us there, we can count it pure joy.
James 1:2-4 ~ Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
"How close can I get, Lord, to my surrender, without losing all control?
Fearless warriors in a picket fence.
Reckless abandon wrapped in common sense.
Deep water faith in the shallow end.
And we are caught in the middle.
With eyes wide open to the differences: the God we want and the God who is, but will we trade our dreams for His...or are we caught in the middle?"
Let's not get caught in the middle, friends. Oh, and I promise I'll throw you a life preserver if I see you flailing around in the waves.
When I first think of having deep water faith in the shallow end, I think of someone who is ready. Ready as they'll ever be (until they actually GET into the deep end). But they think they're ready for whatever life has to throw at them. They're in the shallow end only because they just don't want to be anywhere else right now. But they're ready for the deep end. Or so they think.
But I don't think this is really what the song is getting at
I was reading in the book of John today and I was struck by just how often Jesus was scoffed at. For the most part, it seems that people walking the same ground as Jesus were more apt to think He was a crazy lunatic, than to believe He was the Messiah. Normally, when I think of all the stories of Jesus' life, and how I would have behaved if I were there, I always pictured myself as one of His followers. I mean, knowing what we know now, how could that not be the case...right? Well, today I was struck by the opposite. I was thinking what I would think now if someone were to walk next to me, and say the kinds of things that Jesus said to them. I'd think he was crazy! How in the world could I have had Jesus as my next door neighbor, known His parents and His siblings, watched Him grow up, and yet believed a word He was saying when He started talking about being the "Son of God". I am sure that even to walk beside Jesus, it took some deep water faith to truly believe.
THAT'S the kind of deep water faith I think the song is talking about.
I think it's talking about someone who is so passionate about their faith that nothing they experience on this earth is going to dampen it. They have full-on faith. They are sold out to the Savior. When you look at their life, it doesn't mean it's all a cake walk. But no matter what life throws at them, their faith does not waiver.
There's also the whole idea of having deep water faith out of necessity. You know like...being thrown in before you're really ready but you VERY quickly acquire the faith you need. Kind of like arriving in the deep end of a pool without willingly putting yourself there. Or, you put yourself there willingly...and then the waves come.
Kind of like this: I was at Michigan's Adventure several years ago and, even though I'm not a very strong swimmer I thought, "I can handle the wave pool. It's not so bad." Mind you, the waves were turned off at this point. Also a key to this story: I was in the pool with a friend who was a trained lifeguard. And he knew I wasn't the best swimmer. But he let me do this anyway. What a friend, huh? Anyway, I was swimming in the deepest end of the wave pool with the waves turned off (i.e. calm water) and I was thinking I was actually doing pretty good. (Well, duh!) I thought, "Hey, this isn't so bad! I am a better swimmer than I thought!" And then they turned on the waves. Ruh!-roh Raggy! This girl went from "I'm OK" to "HELP ME!" instantaneously. And my lifeguard friend was of NO use to me at that point. He actually told me to let go of him when I tried to use him as my life preserver. So, I frantically got myself to the side of the pool and started to climb up the ladder. The lifeguard on duty told me, "Sorry, you have to exit in the shallow end." Uh, not if you don't want me to drown I don't!
That was the last time I was ever in a wave pool.
Did I learn something about deep water that day? I learned that I was an OK deep water swimmer, as long as I was on calm water. Me in deep water and waves? Not so much.
I don't know about you, but I don't want to be caught in the middle when it comes to my faith! I don't want to be flapping my arms in the deep end of life! I want to be fully prepared AND fully willing. I pray we can acquire a deep water faith without having to spend too much time in the wavy deep end. But I also know that when life throws us there, we can count it pure joy.
James 1:2-4 ~ Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
"How close can I get, Lord, to my surrender, without losing all control?
Fearless warriors in a picket fence.
Reckless abandon wrapped in common sense.
Deep water faith in the shallow end.
And we are caught in the middle.
With eyes wide open to the differences: the God we want and the God who is, but will we trade our dreams for His...or are we caught in the middle?"
Let's not get caught in the middle, friends. Oh, and I promise I'll throw you a life preserver if I see you flailing around in the waves.
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