DEVOTION- Swimming Lessons
Salvation is only the beginning
My oldest had learned to swim the previous summer and insisted that she didn’t need to take lessons again. She already knew how to swim. While she could successfully make it across the pool without drowning, she could always learn new skills and practice her old ones. I couldn’t convince her that she needed more training. On her first lesson, she explained her mastery of swimming to the coach, who nodded and tried to hide a grin.
“Show me what you know to prove you don’t need to be here,” was the teacher’s wise reply. My daughter swam her very best and worked hard during her lesson. After each skill, the swim teacher showed her new techniques, pushed her a little farther, and even taught her a new stroke. I asked my daughter if she was looking forward to her next lesson.
“Yes! I wonder what new thing I am going to learn next time.”
Now there’s a girl who’s realized there’s always more to learn.
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:22–25, NIV
Whether we’re a brand-new Christian or a more experienced one, many find it easy to grow comfortable in the confidence we have in our salvation. We must keep in mind that while Jesus has saved us from spiritual death, escaping hell isn’t our end goal. Accepting Jesus’s forgiveness is only the first step, the doggie paddling of living for Him. We must continue learning and growing. The first lesson is that we’ll never learn all that God wants to teach us. We’ll never arrive at perfection on this side of heaven. We can always learn something.
To become like Christ, we need a community of believers who challenge and encourage us in our faith. We need to cling to hope, we need to serve those around us with love, and we need to confess our shortcomings. By realizing that we still have much to learn, we make our hearts fertile soil for growth. Instead of explaining to God why we need no additional input or practice, we should instead have an attitude that asks, “I wonder what new thing I’m going to learn next!”
Father, I’m sorry for how I’ve stunted my growth by not acknowledging that I still have more to learn. Give me an attitude of readiness and excitement for what You want to show me next. When pride tempts me to ignore You, remind me that I need continual training.
In what way is God growing me right now?
*This devotion is taken from my new devotional, Sunday God Meets Monday Mom: 100 Devotions Connecting Faith and Life, Day 23, Page 59-60, Our Daily Bread Publishers, 2026
If you love these weekly devotions and want a book full of them to help you connect with God in your daily mom life, this book is for you!
And WOW, the book is available IN STORES at Barnes and Noble locations across the country! Check your local store to see if they have it in stock.
New on the Podcast:
Does opening your Bible seems intimidating, overwhelming, or foreign? Sometimes God’s Word seems like another language. Rose Jordan shares how Jeremiah 29:13 changed the way she approaches the Bible. We don’t have to get it all right or understand everything, we simply need to seek God with all our heart, and we will find Him!
This week I have an article on Evelyn Sherwood’s blog about the disorientation that comes with loss, unexpected circumstances, and grief. As foggy as those seasons can be, God gives us hope in His Word and promises to guide us along His paths of peace. This is a peek into the difficult season I am currently facing and how God’s presence has been closer than ever.
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See you next week. God Bless!
Erin Greneaux