The Art of Drowning

What is the art of drowning?

That is a good question. A remarkable question. A question asked by millions down through the centuries. What? You've never heard it? Well, it's quite simple really. It simply asks: what is the best way to lose my life, the best way to submerge myself in something wider, deeper, more mysterious than myself? Have you heard it? I think you have. It is the question that those of us who follow Jesus must ask ourselves every morning when we open our eyes.

It is not a pleasant experience: drowning. It is a terrifying realization when you find you can not keep your head above water on your own, when you imagine the depths beneath you and how easy it would be to slip under the surface and lose yourself forever in the flow. And so, we struggle. We fight to keep air in our lungs and fear out of our minds. Exhaustion and nausea set in, but still we fight, because we believe that if we can just make it to the shore we will be safe.

What if we are wrong? What if the shoreline, which looks so much like home, was really an illusion and the place we really belonged was underwater? Wouldn't it make more sense to let ourselves go?

And herein lies the real issue: can I give myself over to the unknown swirling beneath my feet? This blog is the story of our journey. It is not easy or safe. It may take detours, but I have a feeling that when we discover the art of drowning, we will discover the art of living and if we can empty ourselves of the air we grasp for, we will find we can breathe underwater.