The smell of the water always made Jayla so
happy. She squeezed into the gym ahead of her mom, pulling her hand
toward the pool area with purpose.
“Jayla!” Her mom exclaimed, laughing while she
untangled the strap of her bag caught on the door handle. “Sweetie,
hold on just a second. We’ll get there!” The day had finally arrived
when Jayla was old enough for swim lessons. Her older brothers and
sisters had all taken lessons when they were little, and Jayla was
the last. She had always watched from the
sidelines, splashing her little toes in the water, eager to dive
like the big kids. It was all her mom could do to keep her safe
around the water.
When they got to the locker room, Jayla lifted her sundress over her
head, revealing the shiny blue swimsuit with the ruffles underneath.
She was so proud when her mom put it on her for the first time. She
remembered running her hands over the ruffles and imagining they
were waves of cool blue water. She handed her mom the dress and
kicked off her flip-flops. Her mom just had time to scoop them up
and place them into the bag before rushing to meet her at the door
to the pool.
“Now, Jayla,” her mom said, kneeling down in
front of her and catching her eyes. “You are going to listen to the
Teacher, right? You’re going to follow instructions and not try to
get too deep too fast?”
“Yes, Mommy,” Jayla said – and she meant it. She
was going to be the best swimmer in the family. She was going to
listen to everything her Teacher told her and be ready to swim in
the big pool in the back yard with her brothers and sisters this
summer. “I’ll be careful!” She reached for the door handle, giving
it a big pull.
“Welcome!” said the Teacher when all the swimmers
had gathered by the stairs to the shallow end of the pool. “If
everyone will just get your mom or dad to help you with your
floaties, we can start the class in just a moment.”
Jayla looked over at the bright colored pile of inflatable armbands
at the side of the pool. Some of the closer kids were already
picking up a couple and getting their parents to help them put them
on. She reached for the nearest two – both bright pink – and handed
them up to her mom with impatience. While her mom secured the
inflatable bands, Jayla took a moment to actually look at the pool.
A strip of blue and white beads roped off the shallow end all the
way across the long, narrow pool, and just on the other side there
was a larger area with several kids diving and playing. The class
would stay in the small narrow strip, each swimmer making his or her
way across the pool. Only those who listened to the teacher and made
it to the other side of the pool would get the certificate of
completion at the end.
“All right everyone, let’s get into the pool!”
The Teacher blew a small whistle one short blast, and kids got into
the water. Some stepped in gingerly, one toe at a time, stopping to
get used to the cool temperature of the water. Some others, more
daring, jumped in all at once, gasping but smiling at the cool shock
of water. “Look up here, everyone,” the Teacher was saying, raising
His voice over the talking and squeals of excitement. “It’s very
important that you follow instructions so that you will know just
what to do.” Most of the kids were paying attention, but no sooner
did the kids get into the water, that some of them started dog
paddling for the larger strip of pool. Testing the buoyancy of their
floaties, they bobbed up and down, mimicking the play on the other
side of the strip. Some of the kids in the free play area called to
them, challenging them to come to the other side. No matter how many
times the Teacher called them back, He couldn’t keep them from at
last sliding over the line of blue beads and into the play area. As
soon as that happened, they threw off the floaties, leaping for the
edge and walking their way along the rim of the pool to get to the
other kids. Jayla saw the other kids flip their bodies over to the
other side of the pool, marveling how they could give up their
opportunity to get their certificate for a few minutes of water play
with the other kids. She turned back to her Teacher who was
speaking.
“Okay, everyone kick your legs and put your arms
out to the front, like this. Keep your eyes on me.” The young
Teacher put His arms out straight and showed them how to make
strokes with their arms while they kicked their legs. Again, another
group of kids was not listening. This group was staying on this side
of the line, but they were kicking their legs with their arms held
tight to themselves, going in circles. No matter how many times the
Teacher tried to get their attention or show them how to move in a
forward motion, they just kept spinning. Pretty soon, some of them
spun themselves right over the rope into the free play area. Others
just got tired and paddled over to the side of the pool, stripping
off their floaties as they ran to find mommies and daddies. Instead
of listening, they tried to do it their own way and ended up either
right in the middle of the splashing, diving kids playing in the
bigger area of the pool or too tired to continue the class. Either
way, the floaties came off, and the kids spent the rest of the time
in the free play area. Now there were just a few kids left, and
Jayla was one of them. By this time, they were nearly halfway across
the pool, and Jayla could almost taste the moment when she would
reach the other side. A few times she got distracted by the antics
of the kids in the free play area and bumped into the side, and a
few times, she found herself kicking or spinning without forward
motion, but she noticed that her Teacher was very patient. The only
time she had problems was when she took her eyes off her Teacher and
tried to do it her own way. When she listened to her Teacher’s voice
and did what He asked, she made forward motion toward her goal.
Pretty soon, Jayla had fixed
her eyes on her Teacher for good, and nothing else would
distract her after that. “You did it!” Her Teacher cheered to the
very few kids who were left at the end. He pulled
each one out of the water by both hands, their little happy legs
kicking and dripping in the air, and each one received a high five.
“Okay, guys! Floaties off!” All the kids stripped off their floaties
and tossed them in a pile near the Teacher’s feet. “You guys head on
over to the carpeted area for juice and a snack, and I will be right
back with your certificates.” The kids squealed happily, tired but
with enough energy to skip over to the big purple rug by the pool
office.
“Thank you,” Jayla said, remembering her manners
when a young female life-guard handed her the little juice pouch and
bag of crackers. She had done it! She had listened to her Teacher
and would get the certificate that meant she could swim with her
brothers and sisters in the big pool this summer. Then Jayla sat
down to rest.
All the kids who jumped into the pool did so with
floaties. Floaties represent the grace of God that holds us up so we
don’t sink. The small strip of pool where the class was taking place
represents the narrow way, and the larger area of the pool where
kids were diving and playing represents the world and its worldly
pleasures.
The kids who didn’t make it to the end represent
those people who start out believing in God and accepting his free
gift of salvation but don’t quite make it until the end. The first
group was bobbing up and down on their floaties, testing the grace
of God. Some Christians test Gods grace by mimicking the world,
trying to be like it when God says we are not of this world. In the
story, those swimmers started in the narrow area, but were actually
acting like those in the free play area. They refuse to listen to
the voice of the Teacher and leave the narrow way, some of them
without even realizing it. God’s grace, the floaties are tossed to
the side as they conform completely to the way the other children
look in the broader section of the pool. The other kids who don’t
quite make it to the end are the kids who didn’t progress across the
pool but just spun in circles until they either spun themselves into
the free play area or simply got too tired to continue and decided
to sit in the shallow end instead. This represents those Christians
who, instead of listening to the Bible and the Holy Spirit, have
started following today’s other popular gospels. Maybe it’s the
prosperity gospel that spins people right into worldliness and worry
about money and material things or Christianity tainted with New Age
ideas like meditative yoga or aligning the frequencies of one’s
chakra. Both of these are carnal and take Christians off the narrow
path, sometimes without them even knowing it.
Or, maybe it’s dominionism that places hope in
mankind instead of Jesus as a savior of the world or the Hebrew
Roots gospel that tells people to follow the dietary laws of the Old
Testament instead of resting on God’s grace. These are the ones who
get so tired doing all the work for themselves that they end up too
tired to finish the class. These are just a few examples of the many
ways people today can be led away from the gospel of the Bible and
the narrow way.
The kids who did make it are those who will
overcome, but even this group had its troubles. The name Jayla,
means “Overcomer.” Even Jayla bumped into the side when she started
to pay too much attention to the free play area, and she got tired
when she used too much energy to spin. Sometimes believers will get
momentarily distracted by the carnality of the world or a new
theological doctrine, but the difference in the overcomers and those
who would not make it to the end is that the overcomers listened to
the Teacher’s voice, and watched for His leading. The Bible says in
Matthew 7:21, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven.” When the kids who make it to the end
come out of the water, they throw their floaties at the feet of the
Teacher. This represents the twenty-four elders who cast their
crowns at the feet of Jesus. When it is all said and done, it is by
His grace through our faith that we will finish the race and earn
the prize of the high calling of Jesus. Without the floaties, not a
single swimmer could make it to the other side. Without the
Teacher’s voice leading us where we need to be, we would all be left
to bump and spin. By keeping our eyes on Him, we will one day find
ourselves in His rest: “And this is life eternal, that they might
know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
Are you trying to be like the world, making excuses for the Bible or
ignoring it completely to conform to the world’s ways? Have you left
the narrow road without even knowing it because you refuse to listen
to the voice of God, calling you back to God’s Word and God’s ways?
Or have you been distracted by another gospel?
Are you spinning yourself tired by trying to earn your salvation by
works, observing dietary laws or feasts, or focusing on political
solutions to a spiritual problem? Have you left the narrow path for
financial success or a New Age spirituality that doesn’t rely on the
finished work of the cross? Are you staying true to the true good
news of the Bible and listening for the Holy Spirit to lead you into
all righteousness? In this world of increased travel, technology,
and knowledge, it is easy to get distracted by all the different
ways to either enjoy the pleasures of this carnal world or get lost
in information and doctrine that keeps us from following God
Himself. Only those who keep their eyes on Jesus and listen for His
voice will make it to the end to find their rest and reward.
Salvation is there for the asking. If you're ready, you can pray
like this: "Jesus, I believe that you shed Your blood, died on the
cross, and rose from the dead for me. I repent of my sin. I ask you
to forgive me and come into my heart. Help me to live for You in
Jesus' name. Amen."
