How Deep Will You Go With God?- J. Lee Grady

You have a choice:

Stay in the shallow end or dive into the deep-where you can't touch bottom or control the current.



Every summer when I was a kid my parents took my sister and me to a family reunion in Alabama. My favorite part of the annual pilgrimage was the spring-fed swimming pool where I spent countless hours with my cousin Chris. The best place to be on those hot, humid days in August was in that ice-cold water.

There was a problem with that pool, however. It was the temperature. The water was so cold that it took me several minutes to get my scrawny body all the way in. I can remember slowly easing into the shallow end, cringing and grimacing as I grasped the handrail by the steps.
It would have been easier to dispense with the torture and just dive head first into the deep end (or to be thrown in by an older cousin-which happened a few times against my will). But because the water was cold enough to turn my arms blue, I preferred to take 10 minutes to slide into the pool inch by painful inch. And if anyone tried to splash me I would run in terror and hide near the snack bar.

I recalled those memories recently when I was reading about Ezekiel's vision of the river of God (see Ezek. 47:1-12). The prophet describes the river flowing out of the Temple in stages, first as a trickle, then as an ankle-deep stream, then knee-deep, then waist-deep and then as a river that couldn't be crossed.

That river represents many things, including the promise that the Holy Spirit's influence in the world will grow deeper and stronger throughout history until the whole earth is covered with God's glory.

But in a personal sense Ezekiel's vision is an invitation to go deeper. It beckons us to leave the shallowness of superficial spirituality.

Do you mind if I ask: What stage of the river are you swimming in?
The ankle-deep stage reminds me of the plastic kiddie pool I bought for my daughters when they were toddlers. The water is great to splash in, and it is safe for kids who don't swim yet.

But it is certainly not a place for grown-ups, as I learned when I jumped in the pool with my girls and sloshed most of the water into the yard. If you've made the ankle-deep water your home for more than six months, you need to grow up and move to the next level.

The knee-deep water could be compared to a spiritual Jacuzzi. It's a place of refreshing but can easily lead to pampering and self-gratification. It's also confining; you'll never fit too many people in your personal spa. Many of us in America are enjoying God's blessings and benefits, but we've kept our faith contained in a shallow, us-four-and-no-more religious environment. We must leave hot tub religion behind.

The waist-deep water is a critical stage. When I inched my way into that freezing pool in Alabama, I was always tempted to get out of the water when it hit my waist. We often want to stop when we reach halfway-which is why so many people face crisis at midlife. When you get to the waist-deep water you realize you must put your head under. You know it's either now or never.

Many of us get stuck at this point. God calls us to total surrender, but when we reach the halfway point we either turn back or park ourselves in perpetual limbo. We are either paralyzed by the fear of losing control or we stubbornly refuse to jettison the things that will sink us.
Finally we come to the depths of the river. The best thing we can do is dive in at this stage, where your head goes under and even your appearance is changed. It's true that in the deep end you cannot feel the bottom. There is no handrail to grasp. You must let go and allow His swift current to take you where He wants you.

As long as we can feel the bottom we are in control. When we let go, He steers our lives. It is actually the best place to be, but no one is going to throw you in against your will.


My challenge to you: Take a big breath, count to three and take the plunge. You'll discover God's ultimate purpose for your life-and lots of adventure-in the deep end.