In my early twenties I almost died because I was unfamiliar with the principle of buoyancy.
A group of rowdy pre-teen campers for a lark decided to push me into the camp swimming pool. Due to health concerns in my younger years I had always avoided pools and oceans. This was the first time I had ever been in so large an amount of water!
My assumption was this is okay… I’ll go along with this… I went in standing erect feet first. I closed my eyes to avoid the sting of chlorine and waited for my feet to land on the bottom of the pool.
When several seconds had passed and this didn’t happen I decided I had better raise my arms so someone can pull me up. I extended my arms to what I thought was overhead. But the reality of my situation was quite different.
Though I had gone into the pool feet first, buoyancy – which I had never before experienced – had lifted my legs up! Rather than descending into the water vertically as I imagined, I was merely lying stretched out, face down, eyes closed, upon the surface of the water!
After some further seconds I began to run out of air. Involuntarily I took a deep breath and filled my lungs with a significant amount of water! By this time folk on the surface were realizing something was wrong and several hands pulled me from the water. First Aid was applied and I obviously survived. If only I had known and learned to trust the reality of buoyancy!
Well, you can see where this analogy is going: confidence requires first getting to know the object of your trust. Confidence in Christ, like confidence in any person, grows as we get to know Him and experience His trustworthiness in ever increasing degree as we turn to Him amid the challenges of this life. These challenges should come as no surprise, for as He has told us:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Press on…
thebrokenrunner 