"When I saw those people on shore yesterday, and saw their faces, it
wasn't the recognition of somebody who just accomplished something very large
in the world. It was people who were recognizing what we go through in our
lives, that we all have dreams and get disappointed, that we all have heartache
and suffer and get through it. It's just the human condition."
That's how Diana Nyad, 64, characterized the welcoming crowd in Key West,
Florida, who gathered Monday to see her complete her historic Cuba-to-Florida
swim after her nearly 53 hours in the ocean.
That day, Nyad, whose name by coincidence is pronounced the same as naiad,
the term for the water-nymphs of Greek mythology, became the first person to
complete the 110-mile swim without a protective shark cage and without swim
fins. It was the fulfillment of a journey she first attempted 35 years ago,
when she was 28. This time was her fifth attempt, and the fourth since turning
60.
Her previous attempts were thwarted by excruciating jellyfish stings, prolonged
asthma attacks, fatigue and, in one case, a lightning storm. This time, despite
vomiting frequently from the salt water she could not avoid swallowing, she
managed to "find a way," which Nyad said was the mantra she used to
keep herself going. She described her successful attempt as "battling hell
on earth."
"For 49 hours, the wind just blew like heck, and it was rough,"
Nyad said.
The swimmer credits her team members as a major reason for her success. They
kept her on course, monitored her condition, provided nutrition and gave other
logistic support. At one point, divers swam ahead of her, clearing jellyfish
out of her path.
"Never, ever give up!" Nyad said after completing her swim.
More on this story can be found at these links:
'Never, ever give up': Diana Nyad Completes Historic
Cuba-to-Florida Swim. CNN
Diana Nyad Said She Battled 'Hell on Earth' Conditions to
Achieve Swim Dream. ABC News
Diana Nyad's Success All in Her Head, Experts Say. NBC News
Diana Nyad completes epic 110-mile Cuba-to-Florida swim at age
64. Fox News
The Big Questions
1. "Never, ever give up!" Nyad said. For what kind of
circumstances is this the right advice? When is it the wrong advice? How can we
determine the difference?
2. How is perseverance related to God's will for us?
3. Nyad referred to the members of the welcoming crowd as "people who
were recognizing what we go through in our lives, that we all have dreams and
get disappointed, that we all have heartache and suffer and get through
it." She described this as "the human condition." In what ways
does the Christian faith speak to the human condition? In what ways does Christ
Jesus speak to this human condition?
4. How are Nyad's four failed attempts related to her eventual success? How
should we view our failures when we have made sincere and determined attempts?
5. Why, in your opinion, doesn't faithfully following Jesus ensure that we
will be successful in all the good things we honestly attempt?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Philippians 3:11-14
... if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have
already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make
it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider
that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies
behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for
the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. (For context, read
3:4b-16.)
The apostle Paul said the above regarding his life of faith and his service
to Christ. The goal of which he speaks is "attain[ing] the resurrection
from the dead." In pursuing this goal, Paul clearly sees perseverance as a
virtue.
We are not suggesting that Nyad's swimming goal is on par with Paul's
eternal-life goal, but the determination and tenacity she showed in achieving
her goal can be an illustration of the kind of determination and tenacity our
faith calls for in following Jesus all the days of our life.
Questions: When is perseverance required and when is it
foolish? In what ways does your faith help you to know when to persevere and
when to relinquish certain goals? Are you the sort of person who will
stubbornly persevere? Do you persevere despite your doubts? Do you require the
support of others or do you plow ahead on your own?
Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us
also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run
with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer
and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him
endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right
hand of the throne of God. (For context, read 11:39--12:2.)
These verses come after Hebrews 11, in which the writer has given a kind of
roll call of faithful people from the Old Testament. Then coming to chapter 12,
he describes these faithful people as a "cloud of witnesses" -- in
effect, people who've already completed their race of life and are now sitting
in the bleachers cheering us on as we run our races. The writer advises that we
discard every unnecessary "weight," as well as the sin that hinders
our racing well, and continue in faith with perseverance.
Questions: What "weights" are you carrying that
keep you from running well in the race of life? Where do you need to be
especially persevering? Who is part of your cloud of witnesses? Who inspires
you from the past? From the present? Are you part of a cloud of witnesses for
others?
John 16:33 (NIV)
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this
world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
(For context, read 16:25-33.)
We are connecting this verse not so much to Nyad's swimming achievement as
to her words about the crowd that welcomed her in Key West -- "people who
were recognizing what we go through in our lives, that we all have dreams and
get disappointed, that we all have heartache and suffer and get through it.
It's just the human condition."
Jesus was probably referring specifically to persecution to come for his
disciples when he made the statement above to them during the final hours
before his arrest (the word "trouble" in this verse is sometimes translated
as "tribulation" or "persecution"). But he may have meant
his statement more generally as well, for in the original Greek, the word
translated here as "trouble" means "pressure." So Jesus
said to his disciples, "In this world you will have pressure."
Notice that Jesus does not offer them even one suggestion for escaping that
pressure. He simply states it as a fact of life: "In this world you will
have pressure." Our own experience bears out the truth of Jesus' words. We
know about pressure because we live with it much of the time. Often pressure or
stress is caused as much by small, daily annoyances as by big calamities, but
big or small, opting out of pressure is seldom a viable option.
Some of the pressure of life cannot be escaped. In those cases, we simply
have to take it. If, for example, you are the parents of small children -- who
create pressure no matter how good they are -- you have little choice but to
stand up under it. Perspective, relaxation and prayer may all help, but in the
end, you still have your children to raise.
Most of us, for that matter, have a certain amount of unalterable pressure
that just comes with the territory of our lives. Life isn't easy, and the
sooner we accept that, the sooner we can get on with living it to the fullest.
Questions: Since pressure is a fact of life, how can we use
it to pursue our relationship with Christ? How can we make the living of our
pressure-filled days also an exercise of joy? Is there peace in perseverance?
Does pressure make it almost impossible for you to go forward or do you thrive
on pressure? Can you think of a figure from the Bible who is a model for you
when it comes to dealing with pressure?
Psalm 30:5
For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may
linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. (For context, read
30:1-12.)
This statement from Psalm 30 can be heard as a statement about how life is a
"mixed bag" of experiences, some of which bring us to tears of sorrow
and pain, some of which bring us to shouts of joy, and many of which affect us
in some place between those extremes. (We can imagine that Nyad's failed
attempts brought her to the sorrow end of the spectrum and her successful
completion brought her to the joyful end.)
In the last century, the Swiss psychotherapist Carl Jung wrote that the
surprises, annoyances, mysteries, stresses, conflicts, paradoxes and
irrationalities of life, far from being things to be feared or subdued, are, in
fact, meaningful and constructive parts of life that we should consciously
welcome and befriend. He said that all these things are part of the richness of
life, which one theologian suggests is Jung's equivalent of a doctrine of
divine grace.
Questions: In what sense is your life richer because of the
difficulties and failures you've faced alongside what you've accomplished?
Where do you see God in the surprises, annoyances, mysteries, stresses,
conflicts, paradoxes and irrationalities of life? In your experience, does joy
come with the morning, either literally or eventually? Does the hope, assurance
or experience of joy following perseverance allow you to face pressure again?
For Further Discussion
1. Comment on this prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr that is used in Alcoholics
Anonymous but written for the larger circumstances of life:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
2. Respond to this, from a TWW team member: "What jumps out at me
[regarding perseverance] is the notion that Jesus 'persevered' and 'endured the
cross' 'for the sake of the joy that was set before him ...' So, whether we opt
to persevere in something or not has to do with whether the outcome is worth
it. Is there joy to be gained at the end? Is there abundant life to be gained
-- for others as well as oneself? Or is it a self-serving goal only? -- in
which case, perseverance might not be warranted."
3. Nyad said that one lesson for everybody from her accomplishment is that
"you are never too old to chase your dreams." Do you agree with that?
Is it biblically true? Is it a denial of reality? Explain your answer.
4. After Nyad's success this week, she said she was "done with the
ocean." After decades of devotion to this goal, once achieved, she
apparently is immediately ready to move on to the next thing, not resting on
her laurels or basking in the glory of the moment. Reportedly, the next
challenge on the horizon for Nyad is a planned 48-hour swim in a
temperature-controlled pool in New York to benefit Hurricane Sandy victims. Are
there goals for us as Christians that, once achieved, should be abandoned in
order to embrace the next thing God has for us?
5. Clarence Jordan, translator of the Cotton Patch gospels and founder of
the interracial Koinonia Farm in Georgia during the Civil Rights era, met a lot
of resistance from his neighbors. One time his house was shot through and
through by Klansmen in the dark. The next day a reporter, who Jordan knew was
one of the shooters, found Jordan plowing a field and asked him what he was
going to do next. Jordan replied, "Jesus doesn't require success, only
faithfulness." Diana Nyad experienced constant failure. How does her
faithfulness in adversity serve as an example for you?
Responding to the News
Nyad said that while long-distance swimming "looks like a solitary
sport, ... it's a team [effort]." This is a good time to remind ourselves
that the Christian life isn't meant to be a solitary endeavor either. Fellow
church members and other Christians should be on your team as you journey
long-distance in faith. Consider the ways you can tap into their wisdom.
Consider how you can be a team member for other Christians on their faith
journeys.
Closing Prayer
O Lord, thank you for the richness of life. Help us, through your grace, to
receive from all things that which is best for us. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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