What Swimming has taught me about Spiritual Growth

Australians are often proud of the ability of our Olympic swimmers and children start early in the pool. So it is a surprise to some people that I am such a bad swimmer. However I am not alone, I have come across a number of people who also swim poorly or not at all. Recently a sister-in-Christ who once helped people correct their stroke (improve their swimming) started coaching me so as to correct my stroke. I believe my poor swimming style falls into two groups:

1.       Bad habits that no one ever help me to correct. For example, I didn’t know that I could be more efficient by rotating my upper body with each stroke of the arm.

2.       My stress from fear.  My sister-in-Christ pointed out to me that my right arm was very stiff and that I could swim more efficiently by relaxing.

The apostle Paul brought the Gospel to a world dominated by Greek culture. Our modern Olympic Games had its origin from the Olympic Games of ancient Greece. In Paul’s time, an athlete can gained money, prestige, and privileges by winning in the Games. But in order to do so they have to train hard. In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote:

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Sports training like swimming are good examples of our Christian life.  Some of us learn to swim when we are children; others like me only learn good swimming techniques late in life. The freedom of being able to swim freely without the fear of not touching the bottom is like the freedom we feel when we finally realised that we can have friendship with God because of what Jesus had done for us. This is exactly why Jesus in John 8:32: “then you will know the truth and truth shall set you free.” But we shouldn’t stop once we know how to swim because we can swim more efficiently with better swimming technique. Whatever exercise you do (e.g. running, cycling, ping pong, swimming etc.) you will develop what is called muscle memory. That is why people say once you know how to ride a bicycle you will never forget. However if you are using poor techniques then you will need someone alongside you to help you develop new muscle memory to replace the old one. In the same way we shouldn’t stop growing spiritually once we have turn to Jesus. Because at conversion, your life would still have old spiritual muscle that would hinder your journey to be more and more like Jesus. In Romans 5:1-5, Paul wrote:

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ² Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

We train hard in the pool. We “do not run like someone running aimlessly”. We “do not fight like a boxer beating the air”. In the same way we work to train our spiritual muscle so that we can receive the everlasting crown.

Finally we must not forget the other ingredient to spiritual growth and that is our spiritual coach or mentor. This is because spiritual growth is not easy and we need Christian brothers and sisters who are willing to swim or walk along side us to help us unlearn the bad and train hard so that we can one day be completed in Christ! In 1 John 4, John wrote “There is no fear in love …”, when we have loving brothers and sisters then there is indeed no fear even in the pool!