Yesterday's post...

must have hit a raw nerve with Amanda. I don't know Amanda but I would say she must have just read real quick and had a gut reaction. It does not say to ignore or avoid the "shallow" swimmer. It does not say judge them and be rude to them. It does not say to nod your superior head in disgust, it just says to recognize them. Satan uses many ploys to keep us distracted. Especially churches. If we are busy tending to a shallow swimmer who thinks she is drowning, we may miss someone who has drifted to the deep and really is drowning. This could also be interpreted as someone who pretends to be all focused on deepening their walk with Christ, but really is just going through the motions.

I think in my life I have been at both places. Sometimes being in the deep and drowning is when you really know you were in the kiddie pool before. Sometimes I have wanted with all my heart to be deepening my relationship with Christ and I just could not do anything but go through the motions. If someone had pointed that out to me, I might have been a little miffed at first, but I can recognize a truth even if I don't want to.

Our true calling is to be iron sharpening iron. Pulling each other up when we fall. Pointing out that someone just needs to "stand up" because they are drowning in the shallow. We are called to help bear one another's burdens. We are also called to speak the truth in love. There have only been a few people in my life who spoke truth in love. It makes them very unique in this "I'm OK, you're OK" world we live in. If you see me lay down in the shallow and pretend I am deep,-please tell me.

What did you think of the analogy? Amanda-if you still feel the same, I can respect that. It may seem a little self-righteous to you, I just read it different.