The Waters We Swim In

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Discipleship: The Water You Swim In

Fish don’t think about water. It’s just… there. All around them. Shaping their movement, their survival, their whole existence.

Discipleship works the same way. You are always being formed by something. The question is, what kind of water are you swimming in?

Whatever you spend the bulk of your time around is forming you into a certain kind of person. In faith spaces we might say you are “being discipled” by those things or people.

When I spend time with family from Montreal, I inevitably talk with my hands more and my vowels come out sounding a little more Greek. The same thing happens when I spend time with English-speakers with a different accent—it rubs off.

Proximity to others doesn’t just influence the way we speak, but what we do as well.

Spend enough time with friends who love to garden, or play a certain sport, and you’ll likely pick up that interest yourself.

We see this in the Bible when the Israelites wanted to be like the nations around them. Though God warned them about the cost of an earthly king, they were determined to blend in. The influence of others was too great.

We are wired to absorb the things around us. For better or worse, we are affected by what we see and experience. We form habits simply by association.

We become what we behold. What we focus on shapes us.

Science describes this through something called the mirror neuron effect. The idea that our brains naturally imitate what we see. It’s why we unconsciously mirror someone’s tone or posture, or even catch a yawn. Proximity changes us. Sometimes it’s harmless. Other times it’s dangerous. And sometimes—as we’ll soon see—it can be as inspiring as doing the things Jesus did simply because we’ve been with him.

Parents often worry about who influences their children, and with good reason! Many know from their own experiences that those friends have the ability to influence their children for the better or for the worse. As children get older, they spend increasingly more time with their friends which means their influence increases as well and can become much greater than those of their wise and (nearly) all-knowing parents. 

Thankfully, that influence can be positive too. I’ll never forget leaving for a summer at camp as a moody, brooding, and prickly 14-year-old. I spent all summer with teens a little older than I was who were quite the opposite of the ray of sunshine I was in that season. They had a zest for life that the Bible describes as the joy of the Lord. They spent time reading God’s Word, worshiping together, serving one another, and growing in faith as they encouraged me to do the same.

I don’t know how intentional any of it was, but it rubbed off. I caught the bug. I fell in love. I surrendered to Jesus.

By the end of my summer at camp, it became obvious to me, and to those who knew me, that I had been around people who loved Jesus because I became just like them.

Take note…

When Jesus first called his disciples, they did not resemble him in any way. They were a band of misfits, including an ostracized tax collector, a couple of fishermen, tradesmen, and a radical zealot ready to revolt against the Romans. They wouldn’t have been anyone’s first choice. In fact, knowing that they were not disciples of another rabbi already tells us that none of them made the cut anywhere else!

But by the time of Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to the Father, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, everything about them had changed.

They exhibited wisdom they had never possessed. They spoke boldly when only cowardice manifested before. They were eloquent, discerning, and carried an authority that couldn’t be explained.

In fact, Luke in the book of Acts describes it like this:When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13 NIV)

The only conclusion people were able to draw from the courage they were seeing in these uneducated, regular guys, was that they had been with Jesus. When they previously had run away out of fear for their lives, they now speak boldly and lead thousands to repentance and new life.

Prior Experience Not Required

Confession: I think a lot about the work I do in writing and speaking and the fact that I, like the disciples, am uneducated. I have an irrelevant degree in Secondary Education and History. I haven’t been to seminary, or Bible college, or anything remotely close to that.

So I think about that verse a lot. I think a lot about how Peter and John were just a couple of tradesmen. They caught fish for a living. Then they simply followed Jesus around Galilee for three years. And then their lives changed. And then they changed the world. 

So maybe prior experience isn’t a prerequisite?

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.” (2 Peter 1:3 NIV)

This means that we don’t need Jesus + something else. He is enough for us. His Spirit at work in our lives gives us all we need for a flourishing life that gives him glory.

But what happens when we are worn out, tapped out, fresh out of flourishing?  

When applying for a job, we scan the ad to determine whether we meet the qualifications. We want to know what the requirements are for the position.

Have I taken that course?

Do I hold that degree?Have I done this kind of work before? If not, what have I done that might be transferable?

Would they take a chance on me if not?

What if I mess up? 

In God’s economy, the approach is a little different.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV)

Because God is gracious and kind and merciful, he makes provision for our weaknesses. He knows that we are dust and still loves us. He knows we are limited and still chooses us. We don’t have to panic when we step into something beyond our realm of knowledge or skillset.

If you are called to it, he is faithful to equip you for it.

Because ultimately, he is the one who deserves the credit for any good we do and the power through which we do it belongs to God alone. 

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. (2 Corinthians 4:7 ESV)

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11 ESV)

It is his power in us that enables us to do a single thing.

In Christ

Now, let’s dig a little deeper. Because sometimes it can feel like the onus is on us to conjure up the Holy Spirit like Casper the Friendly Ghost. We’ve developed language around inviting Jesus into our hearts at salvation, but this isn’t biblical. 

Scripture more often describes the faith journey as believers being in Christ.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

When I travel in an airplane, I am doing nothing to reach those heights or that speed. I am simply willing to surrender myself into the care of the aircraft and its crew. I am in the airplane. And that airplane is getting me to my destination. 

In Christ follows the same principle. It is not by skill and effort that I reach my destination, my purpose, my calling, or my goal. I surrender to Christ, allowing his Spirit to fill me and animate my crucified body so that I live like Jesus would. 

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 NIV)

She’s With Me

The choices we make don’t just affect how we live, but what we are known for, too. In Acts 4:13, Peter and John had to intentionally remain with Jesus throughout his public ministry. They were not recognized as ones who had been with Jesus because they happened to enjoy a glass of heaven’s finest at same wedding once, or ate some pita bread during his Sermon on the Mount. No, they lived all of life with Jesus. Day in, day out, for years. Until who Jesus was seeped out of them.

Can this be said about us?

I want this to be said of me. She’s not educated, she’s just a regular girl. But you can tell she’s been with Jesus. I could cry at the thought!

The Water You Choose

The truth is, we are all being discipled by something. Culture, ambition, entertainment, fear, friends, you name it! Each shapes us in subtle ways until we start to mirror what we behold. But for those who are in Christ, the invitation is different. We are not left to drift. We are invited to remain. To stay close enough to Jesus that his character, love, and power rub off on us.

Just like his disciples, you don’t need a degree, a title, or prior experience to be formed by him. You simply need proximity. The more time you spend with Jesus, the more his life seeps into yours. The more his ways become your ways.

So, ask yourself:What kind of water am I swimming in?Who or what is shaping me right now?

Then take small, intentional steps toward living “in Christ” every day. These have been adapted from the book Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer because I’m not going to mess with a good thing.

1. Be with Jesus. Set aside daily time in his presence — through Scripture, prayer, or quiet reflection. Formation happens through proximity!

   
   

2. Become like Jesus. Let his Word challenge your habits, assumptions, and priorities. Ask, “What would Jesus do if he were living my life?”

   
   

3. Do what Jesus did. Let his love move you outward — to serve, forgive, and bless others with the same grace you’ve received.

   
   

4. Stay in community. Surround yourself with others who have also “been with Jesus.” Formation flourishes in shared life.

   
   

Over time, people will begin to notice, not your perfection, but your presence. They’ll take note that you’ve been with Jesus. And I can’t think of a higher compliment. 

What’s in the Ears

This is the part where I share a song or podcast I’m currently into. The song I’m sharing today is by Jon Guerra. He is a prophet for our time if there ever was one. His latest album, simply titled, Jesus, came out in Spring 2025. Every song is poignant and beautiful but the one I’m recommending today is Where Your Treasure Is. Let me know if you check it out!

If this stirred something in you, share this post with a friend or drop a comment below. I’d love to hear what small step you’re taking towards the flourishing life today! And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss a thing.

Podcast available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favourite streaming platform!