Making A Splash
At least twice a week I swim at least one mile. Once I retired from pick-up basketball, I was searching for an athletic alternative that would satisfy my competitive instincts and allow me to maintain an above average level of fitness. One of my mentors recommended that I give the pool a try. At first, the pool tried me. Like most things that look easy, it wasn't. I remember one of my early instructors basically insulting me, by observing how my swimming strokes revealed a weak midsection and weak lungs. But of course that's all I needed to hear. I worked at it. And these days, swimming has become a permanent part of my weekly exercise regimen.
I didn't start swimming until I was 35, and learning to do it well was a long, arduous endeavor. When I first started, I remember enviously watching other swimmers gliding effortlessly through the water. I was often so discouraged by my own little brokedown stroke that I almost quit. Now, when I see the newbies watching me the way I used to watch the veterans, I always offer an encouraging word. But then there are always those newbies who want to act like learning how to swim is not a big deal. There are always those newbies who want to make a splash.
I saw one the other day. As I was midway through my swim, I saw him swagger up to the pool, confidently remove his crocs, adjust his goggles and then jump in the pool (it's only four feet!). He made a big splash. I put my head down and kept working through the water. Less than three minutes later, I saw him hunched over breathing heavily, and then he left the pool. I put my head down and kept working through the water.
When I exited the pool half an hour later, it occurred to me that good swimmers don't make a lot of noise. In fact the better your form is, the quieter you zip through the water. Good swimmers just keep working through the water. Rarely, if ever, do they make a splash. Making a splash makes alot of noise and attracts alot of attention. But it also consumes alot of energy. And it also reduces the distance you can travel. Making a splash is no bueno.
But I have learned that alot of people are fond of making splashes. And I don't just don't mean in pools. I mean in life. Far too many of us pursue activities and make decisions that are designed to make a lot of noise and attract a lot of attention. But those activities and decisions rarely get us to where we want to go, and they consume previous energy.
Making a splash was actually one of the temptations that Jesus faced. The Bible informs us that immediately after Jesus was baptized, he was led into the wilderness, where he faced three different temptations from the Devil. I believe that the second temptation was the temptation to make a splash. One writer called this temptation the temptation to be spectacular. According to Matthew 4:5-8
Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you.And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
The Devil was trying to convince Jesus to jump off a cliff. His logic was based on a perverse interpretation of scripture. His logic was that if you jump off a cliff, God will save you, because the Bible says he will save you if you fall off a cliff. But Jesus saw through the Devil’s flimsy, , flawed and faulty logic. God saving me if I fall off a cliff is one thing. Jumping off a cliff to see if God will save me is something else. If I jump off a cliff to see if God will save me, I am putting God to the test. And putting God to the test is no bueno. As Howard Thurman observed, Jesus was still subject to the law of gravity, son of God though he was. And if you jump off a cliff, you're going to break your neck. Even if you're Jesus.
The Devil always tempts us with the big, exciting, splashy things. But when we fall for his tricks, we usually wind up hunched over, breathing hard, and have to leave the pool early.
This year, spend less time trying to make a splash. Spend more time just working your way through the water.
Show Up.
Get The Little Things Right.
Listen to your coaches.
And keep working your way though the water.