Digging In: Going Off the Deep End

An HGBM Contributing Author Spotlight

What does it mean to truly trust God? In this week’s Digging In, HGBM Contributing Author Jerry Crossley explores what happens when we stop standing safely on the sidelines and are willing to go “all in” with our faith. Through stories of swimming, motorcycles, and Simon Peter’s encounter with Jesus, Jerry reminds us that sometimes commitment comes before understanding—and that learning to trust Him is where the real journey begins.

Going Off the Deep End

by HGBM Contributing Author, Jerry Crossley

It's a crazy title. Appropriately, it means, "crazy". We speak of disturbed, deranged individuals as people who are "going off the deep end". More than occasionally, in my pastoral ministry, I have been so labeled. Maybe, if you are enthusiastic about the things of God, you too have been described as "going off the deep end." But when it comes to faith, we cannot be fence-sitters. We have to go "all in" to experience it. It's like the story of a man whose friends invited him to visit their church. "We have such beautiful stained-glass windows." He, a skeptic, thought he'd walk around the outside of the building without entering it, and in this way, he could observe the stained-glass windows from the outside without making any commitment.

"Did you see our beautiful windows?" the friends inquired. "Oh yes, I walked all around the outside of your building and observed them. They're not much to look at. They just look like slate-grey slabs. "You can't see them that way. You can appreciate them only if you stand on the inside of the church." So, faith can be understood only if we go "all in", "off the deep end." My favorite acronym for FAITH is: "Forsaking All, I Trust Him."

When our son was about 8 years old, I felt a need to teach him how to swim. A church member graciously offered me the use of her inground pool. Paul soon mastered the art of swimming the width of the pool at the shallow end. So, for the next step, I escorted him to the deep end and announced "Just repeat what you successfully did at the shallow end. It's exactly the same width. Swim across the width of the deep end."

That made sense to me, but not to him. He looked at me skeptically. "Look," he said, "Is that water over my head?" "Of course. It's about 10 feet, but the deep water will help hold you up." Now I must admit that I wasn't really sure this statement was true. Was it supported by science? Paul diffidently entered the deep water, looked down, and promptly panicked. I was obliged to rescue him because I was afraid to go home to his mother without him.

Then, some weeks later, Paul returned to the intimidating in-ground pool. He informed me that this time he intended to swim across that pool. I assumed that he meant that he intended to go to the deep end and swim across the width. Instead, I saw him boldly step onto the diving board, dive into the water, and swim the entire length of the pool. I was shocked. I was dazzled. He was "all in." He had "gone off the deep end".

Sometimes, when our faith is frail and our efforts are feeble, we don't trust ourselves. I think that the secret of being overcomers is not in learning to trust our self, but in learning to trust Him. There's an instructive and inspiring story told in Luke's Gospel: "One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

"When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch.' Simon answered, 'Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.'

"When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, 'Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!' For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken---. Then Jesus said to Simon, 'Don't be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.' So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him." (Luke 5:1-11 NIV)

Simon Peter, in lowering his nets, had gone off the deep end. As a commercial fisherman, he knew that fish weren't biting during daylight hours. He did what he did not because he trusted himself but because he trusted Jesus. First came his commitment; then came his understanding.

We generally imagine that we need to understand how something operates before we commit ourselves to it. Yet I've discovered that commitment comes first. Once a parishioner gave me his used motorcycle. It was fairly small: a Honda Twin Star 250 cc. I earnestly tried to express my appreciation, but I was completely intimidated. All I knew about riding motorcycles was that it was dangerous. I tried studying the accompanying manual, only to wind up more confused.

One day I was sharing my problem with a woman in my church. She commented, "My son Rob didn't know how to ride one either." Curious, I asked, "Well, how did he learn?" "Oh, he just got on it and rode it. He figured it out as he drove." And that's what I finally did. Right off the deep end. Crazy. First came my commitment, then came my understanding.

At one period in my life, I was a self-proclaimed agnostic. I figured I'd stay that way unless, and until, someone could prove to me that there really is a God. One night, as a college student, I arranged a meeting with a dynamic Lutheran pastor in my neighborhood. "I want you to prove God to me," I challenged.

He looked at me and laughed. "Son, I can't prove God to you or anyone else. But if you simply surrender yourself to Him, He will prove Himself to you. You will discover that this Christian faith has a self-authenticating validity." And so, I did, and it was true. If you are perplexed about the role of faith in your own life, I encourage you to make that commitment. Your understanding will follow. The Christian faith can be understood only from the inside out.

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Jerry Crossley’s stories remind us that faith isn't always about having all the answers before we take the next step. Sometimes, we have to trust God enough to step into the deep and discover what comes next.

If you enjoyed Jerry’s perspective on faith, you can find his books in the Higher Ground Books & Media Shop. Explore his titles and discover more of his writing on faith, life, and following God.

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