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In the July 18, 2009 issue of World Magazine, Marvin Olasky reflects on the tragedy of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford in an article entitled “Riptide.” The title especially caught my attention because over a year ago, while swimming in Florida, I was caught in a riptide and came close to drowning. In the article, Olasky refers to a riptide as an analogy to the “tide” that swept Gov. Sanford into adultery. He writes,

If it were just one clear, unmistakable line to be crossed, Sanford might not have ruined his marriage. But this gross sin, like all others, undoubtedly started in easy crossings of lines that seemed dotted rather than solid. Sometimes we don’t realize we’ve swum into a riptide until we’re pulled out to sea.

As one, however, who was caught in an actual riptide, the analogy has even more power.

For those who may not know, a riptide or rip current, is a strong channel of water flowing away from the shoreline, typically through the surf line. What did I learn from being caught in that “strong channel of water flowing away from the shoreline?”

First, I was overconfident in my ability to avoid danger. I grew up on Long Island and often swam in the ocean. Although the signs warned of a strong riptide, I thought I was an experienced ocean swimmer and could overcome any difficulty. My overconfidence led me to ignore the warning signs and overlook the danger. I soon was in big trouble. Further, I was not in as good a shape for swimming as I thought I was. I was much younger when I swam on Long Island! Much younger!

Pastors or any Christians for that matter are foolish to be overly confident in their ability to avoid serious sin. After mentioning a litany of things to which the Israelites succumbed, Paul warns in 1 Corinthians 10:12: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Paul warns us in verse I Corinthians 10:14 to “flee from idolatry.” “Fleeing” is the response of someone who is not overconfident in his or her ability to withstand temptation. Paul warns Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:22 to “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

Many Christians and perhaps even pastors today seem to be living life as close to the precipice as they can. They justify their behavior in the name of Christian liberty and anti-legalism. But my swim in the riptide taught me how easy it was to be smug about my ability to avoid danger.

Second, I learned that a riptide is deceptive. From a distance, you can see the riptide. Reading the warning sign as we approached the beach, I glanced up and saw the area of murky water that indicated its presence. But once in the waves, I lost track of where it was. One dive under a large wave and suddenly its powerful current had me in its grip.

I don’t believe David ever thought about the potential consequences of his sin with Bathsheba. His reign, his testimony, his family would never be the same. He would experience a time of terrible spiritual drought (Psalm 32; Psalm 51). Having that stolen time with Bathsheba seemed so good, so desirable, so deserved for a king! As Gov. Sanford experiences the wreckage of his marriage, the devastation of his children, the ending of his political career, and the “great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme” will he think his sin was worth it? Hardly! Just like a riptide, sin can be deceptive in its ability to deceive and destroy.

Third, it is harder, much harder to get out of a rip tide then you think. Olasky quotes the standard rule for escaping a riptide. He writes,

The riptide analogy: “If you’re caught in one and try to swim directly toward shore, you’ll just tire yourself out fighting against the riptide’s power-and you might drown. But if you keep your head and rely on God’s providential limiting of the riptide’s breadth, you’ll know that by swimming parallel to shore you can escape the water’s pull and make it home safely.”

I suppose that is good advice and about the only thing you can do when caught in a riptide. But by the time I was in the riptide, I was already tired. I did not seem to be making any progress swimming parallel to the shore. Further, the riptide was taking me further out and I wasn’t sure I would have the strength to swim back from such a long distance away. I made the stupid decision to try to swim toward shore. Unless you’ve been there, you don’t realize how powerful the impetus is to do the wrong thing.

So it is with sin. David was even willing to commit murder to cover up his sin. He tried everything he could do to avoid its consequences, piling sin upon more sin. When we grieve the Holy Spirit, He withdraws the sense of His guiding presence. It’s amazing how spiritually stupid we can quickly become! Succumbing to sin, we can quickly set in motion a series of poor decisions that brings us close to the point of drowning.

Fourth, my family was completely unaware that I was in danger. Sarah and Caleb were initially nearby, but soon the riptide pulled me quite far away from them. Carole was watching from shore, but watching them and not me. None had any idea that I was in danger!

We can hide the spiritual danger we are in from those closest to us, especially if they are not on the lookout for that danger. We have a word for it-compartmentalize. We can live in a secret world of sin and function reasonably well as a husband, father, or even as a pastor. We had better give our family permission to ask us hard questions and account for unusual behavior.

Well, I’m writing this article, so I must have survived the riptide. It brings me to the final lesson I learned from a riptide in Florida. Always swim where there is a lifeguard present! As I tried to swim toward shore without making any progress, I noticed that the lifeguard was looking in my direction. In fact, he had left his perch and was standing at the edge of the water looking intently at me. I had a choice at that point. I could keep trying to swim in my own strength or I could call out for help. Realizing I was in danger and not wanting to reach a point of total exhaustion, I waved for help. Almost immediately, another lifeguard swam up to me wearing fins. He had stationed himself in the riptide for just such a foolish swimmer. He told me to grab his shoulder as he swam me to shore. I tell you, it was a good feeling to stand on dry land!

The best thing is to stay entirely away from the riptide of sin. It is also good to swim with a lifeguard present. A lifeguard is someone who will hold you accountable and will not be afraid to ask you hard questions. I was embarrassed that I needed help swimming in the ocean but I needed help nonetheless. The lifeguard asked the necessary but embarrassing question. I do my best to avoid the riptide of sin but I also have an accountability partner who can ask me tough questions.

I appreciate Olasky’s analogy of a riptide. I’ll leave it to others to speculate on the state of Sanford’s walk with the Lord and whether he is repentant or not. But from my own experience I know that a riptide is nothing to fool with and you can certainly get into deep trouble in a riptide of sin.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 27th, 2009 at 2:57 pm and is filed under Christian life, Knowing Christ, Ministry, family, pastor. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.