Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

—John 15:4

Swimming is an isolating sport, of sorts. While it is an individual team sport, unlike most other competitive sports, you don’t really see or hear how you’re doing until the race is already over. When the starting gun fires and you leap in the water, you’re transported to another dimension that mutes the world around. You might grasp traces of another’s presence in the distant lane over, but for the most part communication with everyone else is severed.

I learned from my friends who don’t swim often that many of them find lap swimming boring. The repetition of swimming up and down a lap pool becomes mundane and un-stimulating. You can’t easily chat with others while swimming and you can’t listen to music unless you have some fancy gear. It’s just you with your thoughts. So that’s what I do, I think.

I almost always start off thinking about my form. As a full-body (and relatively unintuitive) activity, swimming has so many things to keep track of. Am I putting my elbows in the right place? Rotating properly? Breathing properly? Hey, I have legs! Whoops, I forgot to move them. Having to think about and constantly changing my form while swimming is a task of its own. It’s only through this consistent and constant evaluation and correction do these things become habit and nature. As basics become natural, then I can focus on finer details and techniques.

I’m learning that the same thing goes for my spiritual life. Recently I was getting frustrated that when issues arose, I wouldn’t know what to do about it. I didn’t even know how to approach my problems; I just knew something was wrong. I’m finding that my life requires constant reflection and introspection through God. But like swimming, if I don’t even know proper form, I don’t know what I’m looking to evaluate. Then I get bored.

I’m still figuring things out. It’s a slow process, and like most growth, it can be painful and unnoticeable. Oftentimes I impatiently wish for a dramatic, permanent change for the better (instant gratification), but I still need to remind myself that clothing myself in Christ requires work and effort on my end. I have to seek God constantly with focus and determination. He will coach and correct me.