Kinda reminds me of being in english class, and having to say the words correctly for each tense of the world. Also, like the Greek classes in college – only there, we had more tenses (tension too) for words. Wasn’t enough to remember past, present and future. We had “perfect”, “future perfect”, etc. Enough to make some of us a little anxious when it came to completing our greek homework.
Connected with an old college-mate who is now President of Fuller Seminary. As we were talking, we reminisced about Henk who was not taking greek, but could sight-read like it was his native tongue. When we would get stuck, we’d look for Henk to find out what those words really meant in English. To top it off, Henk’s native tongue was Dutch, so he was reading Greek and translating it to English that we could understand.
We found out rather quickly that he had learned Greek while in high school in Holland – kind of like our high schoolers taking French or Spanish.
What made me think of swimming was watching the Olympic Trials last night. Then on the news, to hear that there were people complaining that the new swim suits (more like body suits) were helping the swimmers. Sorry, but I don’t think that one of those suits would make me swim faster than I do now. My way of thinking says that practice and exercise will eventually help me get faster. True, the suit may shave seconds and milliseconds off my time, but the suit is not what does the swimming!
Don’t worry, I’m not going out for the 2012 Olympic Team. Maybe a little work or muscle-building and endurance would help, but the suit does not do it! (Remember the Jackie Chan movie?)
This is also like what John says in the middle of 1 John 2 (verses 12-14). In effect, you get better because you have learned from life, how to live. As we practice how we ought to live, we get better. So, keep practicing the “right way”, and it will become the “way” you live. That kinda means I have to keep reading His directions so I keep walking in the light…