It is a big sigh of relief now that Jake can swim. It happened in less than ten minutes. Jake had taken off his little arm floaties and decided to touch the bottom. Once he realized that all he had to do was push back up to get to the top; any fears he had went away.He is very much like me in this regard. He never wanted to practice swimming for the most part. He is very slow to take on a new challenge. Once he does though, he does it with vigor. He was a regular fish after those first two minutes of swimming solo. It makes me wonder whether he has observed and taken on my cautious tendencies, or whether he is hard wired with them.
He was very pleased with himself and so was I. I loved that he has gained a new level of independence and that he is so proud of his accomplishment. Again, if God is a Father, then his heart responds similarly when we individually (or as a people) overcome obstacles.
He couldn't wait to show his mama, so we went back to the pool again later that evening. Mama was more prepared - she had the camera in tow.
3 comments:
Since you make the "God as a father" analogy, the Catholic in me wants to make some analogy between Jake wanting to show his mother and our relationship with Mary the mother of God...but I just can't do it. (even I'm not THAT Catholic!)
;-)
**I loved that he has gained a new level of independence and that he is so proud of his accomplishment. Again, if God is a Father, then his heart responds similarly when we individually (or as a people) overcome obstacles.**
That's the interesting thing about the parent analogy. It seems that evangelical Christianity does focus on the fact that we can do nothing without God, that if you try and go your own way, or do something independently, you'll fail because you're doing so on your effort.
Yet if God is a parent, isn't part of the parent's responsibility to teach the child how to be independent, and how to postively do something on his own effort? While support and training are necessary in teaching our children how to swim, your son's own effort helped in his mastery.
OSS - I agree. I think your point is a large Achilles heel in the thought pattern of many evangelicals. It is almost schizophrenic if God is encouraging us to good and telling us well done when we do, if in fact we really have nothing to do with it anyway.
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