As a kid, I loved swimming. I mean, really loved it. Anywhere I could, any chance I got. There was, and still is, something so freeing about the weightlessness of water as it completely enveloped my body.
But as excited as I was to swim, I couldn’t just jump right in. I had to test the water. Usually several times. First a toe. Then a whole foot. Then both feet. Then I’d go in up to my ankles, then my knees, then my waist. And then there came the moment when I knew the only thing left was to plunge my whole body under. So I’d take a few quick breaths, dive under, and before I knew it I was acclimated to the temperature. Let the fun begin!
I’d have to test the water like that because I was afraid it was too cold. And you know what? I was often right. It was too cold. The water was going to come into shocking contrast with my own body temperature. So I took it slow. Testing the water never increased the temperature of the water, but it did increase my nerve.
Eventually, as I repeated this testing process several dozen, if not hundreds, of times, I would just dive right in. Straight into all the fun. No fear, no hesitation, no wasted time or energy.
This is usually how people come to Jesus. It certainly was for me. First a toe, then a whole foot, then both feet, and on and on. So be patient. With yourself if you’re intrigued but unsure. With others if they’re not ready to dive right in.
Whatever the hesitation might be—suspicion of Jesus demanding a lot, trepidation about stopping certain habits, uncertainty about picking up new habits, doubt about certain beliefs, fear of what others might think—they’re probably not wrong. It just takes time to build up the nerve and to acclimate.
