The Soggy Discipler

Avoiding disassociative syndrome

Written by Grant Edwards

Swimming Lesson #2. When learning to swim, beginners do as you do -- not as you say. They need the reassurance of having you beside them, demonstrating good technique. I know there are elite swim coaches who show up to practice wearing polo shirts and carrying clipboards, who conduct the entire practice from the side of the pool. They never get wet. But that's not what coaches of new swimmers do. New swimmers (and new Christians) need the reassurance of seeing the coach in the water. That's where the trust is built.
The above excerpt is taken from Swimming Lessons, Chapter One: The Soggy Discipler

I open the first chapter of my book Swimming Lessons with a discussion of trust. No trust, no real discipleship!

Let me explain further. Since Christianity is ultimately a relationship with God, it is important at the beginning of a new believer’s spiritual walk to model a relationship with God. This can’t be done in a classroom. It is learned best in a one to one relationship.

In the early 90’s I visited Russia. In the Communist countries there were a lot of orphans that were basically abandoned in state run orphanages. These orphanages were so short of funds that there were few actual workers. The babies were put in dirty bassinets and kept alive with little human contact. It was discovered as these babies grew older that they had a “dissociative syndrome” or inability to feel and love as normal adults. Why? They had no human touch or interaction as a baby. And the important thing, if human imprinting and the resultant emotional development was non-existent in the first few months of life, it was very difficult to develop later in the baby’s life.

Okay let me make an outlandish suggestion. I’ve often wondered at the inability of most Christians to have life changing faith. It’s almost as if the change that can only be motivated by a loving and trusting relationship is non-existent. As the Christian grows older in the Lord, while there is a semblance of church activity, there is little actual evangelism, answered prayer, hearing the Lord’s voice, and discipleship. It’s kind of like going through the motions with no passion for actually being a disciple of someone you love.

Is this a form of Christian “dissociative syndrome” brought about from lack of actual one on one human contact between a disciple and disciple? The new believer has been kept alive, in a sense, with plenty of Christian activity but has had little actual discipleship with a mature believer. How can the new believer learn the love that motivates change when no one actually loved them in the beginning?

Plenty of questions and I believe the answer is one on one discipleship.