Swimming 7.4.2024

     Once upon a time, three babies met in the pond. They became instant friends intrigued by their differences. One of the babies was a duck. He was proud of his waterproof feathers and wide webbed feet which moved him quickly and silently across the surface of the pond. The second of these friends was a turtle. She giggled when she saw how smoothly the duckling swam so she dove down to the bottom of the pond, burrowing through the mud. When she rose, she stopped just below the surface poked her head ever so slightly above the water, and winked at her new playmate. The third of these new friends was a fish. He swam and leaped and dove and rolled and “lolled” in the shallows. He enjoyed the company of his new friends but soon it became clear that though they all shared the same pond they were very different, and each swam in a distinctive way. 

    The duckling swam across the surface of the water. He occasionally dove and he sometimes would dip his head under and hold his breath, but he only did so rarely, and doing so frightened him. Like mama duck, he was graceful in a way--swimming beautifully back and forth across the placid surface of their charming pond. One day the duckling asked Mama duck “Why don’t we swim beneath the surface like my friend the fish, or bask in the muddy shallows like turtle?” The Mama replied “OH my heavens! The depths are dangerous! We need not be so zealous about our swimming. We are beautiful to gaze upon with our freshly preened feathers and silent movement. The surface is fine for us.” The baby duck shook his head and wondered why such a notion had ever escaped his bill.

    The baby turtle swam as deeply as she wished, stayed beneath the surface as long as she wanted, and even left the pond to bask on a log or even the bank. She was not so gracious as the duck, couldn’t dive as deep as the fishy but was completely in control of how she swam, or when she swam, or where she swam. “I’m the boss of me” she said. When she wanted to swim deep the turtle acted like she owned the pond. She was proud of her abilities but somewhat fickle. One day she wanted to spend all her time in the deep water, the next she sulked on a log. She could wallow in the mud or stick her head up ever so slightly and it felt for a moment that she was a part of the surface world and all it promised. 

    The baby fish, though she befriended turtle and duck, was not really a part of their world at all. He could not glide along the surface arching his graceful neck. He could not bask on a log when he got tired. The pond was his environment. Swimming was not a part of his life—it was his whole life. He lived, breathed, fed, moved, and matured fully immersed in his watery environment. Even at a young age when prompted by his friend the duck and the turtle to join them in their mixed environment, the fish knew that to leave the water was not possible. Out of the water he could not live. He swam because swimming was who he was. 

    Our tale tells of three kinds of swimmers. One who only swims on the surface. One who swims according to personal convenience or preference. One who swims, fully immersed in the environment. To what, then does this little parable refer? 

    There are three kinds of swimmers in the Church. Those who only swim upon the surface. They may preen their feathers and move with exaggerated grace, but they do not wish to go any deeper. Avoiding the challenge of diving into the deep, their faith is always limited by their visible horizon and risk aversion. 

    They may not be visible, but most ponds (churches) are filled with turtles. Turtles swim when it suits them. Sometimes fully immersed, other times sitting on a log. You get a glimpse of them peeking their head above the surface, looking to see if you are looking at them. They pretend to be shy and reserved but they are really just selfish. They don’t wish to be directed or led and they choose where they will swim, when they will bask, and when they will play in the mud. Turtles usually get mud on everything else around them and dirty up the water. 

    Fish are all in. The water is their environment. They live there. They thrive. They mature in the water. They build whatever relationships fish have (no analogy is perfect…) in the water. The pond is not where they preen for the crowds, nor is it where they do as they darn please. The world outside of their pond is not their home. They are fully committed creatures of their environment who simply cannot conceive of doing anything else but swimming. 

Your Church, your congregation, is your pond. Don’t be a duck. Don’t be a turtle. Be a fish.  

(Thank you for the assist, Henry!)