The Eternal CurrentSample

Learning How to Swim

When all is said and done, the spiritual life is not about practice; it’s about God. We’ve focused on the central metaphor of swimming with Christ in God’s River. But the River is what matters. It’s not about perfecting our swimming techniques, as if our arms could cause the Current to move even for a second. The call of Jesus is to do anything and everything to get ourselves caught up in the River that has been flowing before us, is flowing now, and will keep flowing after all of creation is put back together. 

You can do this in all your brokenness and glory. You can swim with Christ in the River of God for the sake of the world. And not just in church or from within the safety of holy spaces. You can learn to discover God’s Eternal Current flowing in every moment, every conversation, every work deadline, every belly laugh, every moment of doubt, every fight with a spouse, every meal with loved ones, every funeral procession, every playground, and everything in between. For it is in God that “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Wherever we go, we discover that the Creator and Animator of all life is already there. We cannot not be fully submerged in the presence of God. 

Through a practice-based life, we can learn how to swim with Christ in the Eternal Current. Grace opened our eyes, grace invited us in, and grace will teach us the concrete ways to say yes, moment by moment, over and over. Thanks be to God. 

As we look forward to the future in hope, please join me in this prayer: Eternal Creator and Lover of all you have made, thank you for life, breath, and the invitation of Christ to get swept up in your work of healing and restoring all things. In this moment, I say yes to your Eternal Current. I say yes to the kingdom of God. I say yes to your unforced rhythms of grace for the sake of the world. Please teach me how to swim. Please receive me, in all my brokenness and glory, and teach me to swim. I pray this humbly and boldly in the name of the Father, the name of the Son, and the name of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

If you enjoyed this 5-day devotional from Aaron Niequist, be sure to check out Aaron's book, The Eternal Current . To enter to win a copy of The Eternal Current, click here .