Learning to Swim

My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations knowing that the proving of your faith works patience.  James 1:2

Count – Do you remember when you learned to swim?  It certainly didn’t seem natural, did it?  The water was deep and a little scary.  You might have choked a few times.  Since we can’t breathe under water and we don’t have fins, I imagine there were moments when you said to yourself, “Why am I doing this?”  But one thing was absolutely certain.  You can’t learn to swim on the shore.  You have to get into the water if you’re going to learn. 

That’s what James has in mind in this famous verse.  What you need to learn must be taught in the murky waters of this world; waters that are filled with all kinds of temptations.  But remember this:  you can’t learn patience and dependence unless you are swimming with the sharks.

James uses the Greek word hegesasthe.  His choice is very interesting.  The literal meaning is “to lead or go before, to go out first, to lead the way.”  The word is used to describe those who have influence and authority.  This is a word for being right up front.  James uses it in a metaphorical sense.  That changes the meaning just a bit to “regard, esteem, count or reckon.”  Instead of a physical leader, the word now describes what comes first to mind, what we are to bring to the center of our attention. 

And what are we supposed to pay close attention to?  The joy of falling into temptation, that’s what?  Does that seem crazy to you?  How can we be expected to regard being inundated with temptations as joy?  It’s about as crazy as jumping off a dock into the water. You might sink.  But you can’t learn to swim standing on the dock admiring the depths.  You have to get wet.  In order to learn the patient surrender to God’s will, you will have to venture forth into the world of temptations.  Your character is not formed on the sidelines any more than you can learn to swim on the beach. 

Does that mean we go looking for temptations in order to test our character?  No, that’s not necessary.  I am quite confident that temptations will find us even if we are not looking.  It is simply not possible to live in this alien land, under the power of the prince of darkness, and not encounter a host of temptations.  Some day read the gospels with an eye toward all the temptations that came before Jesus.  There are a lot more than that single encounter with Satan in the wilderness.

So, James tells us to bring to front and center the fact that various temptations give us the opportunity to prove our faith and discover patience.  We can convert the attacks of the enemy into victorious battle cries and restful contentment.  That’s the goal.

But you will have to get wet.