Swim Buddy, by Will

I recently finished listening to The Operator by Rob O'Neill, a former DEVGRU SEAL Operator. As I've listened to him share about his time as an elite warrior, something stood out to me that I've heard in at least one of the other books by a SEAL that I've listened to, the swim buddy. Different branches of the military refer to this by a different name, I read one book written by an Army Ranger, and they used the term "Ranger buddy", but the concept is the same. This is the person that has your back no matter what. They push you through training, they stand with you in battle. Your swim buddy is who you trust with your life, and who trusts you with their's. We all need a swim buddy.

We weren't made to do life alone. In the very beginning, God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." (Genesis 2.18b) God then makes woman, and the two become one. Marriage is God ordained, and it is a good thing. But marriage is not the only relationship a man needs; a man needs other men. A man needs a swim buddy. A man needs another man, or a group of other men, who will challenge him in ways only other men can, who call him to be a man, and bestow masculinity upon him. He can't get this from a woman, not even his wife. A man needs other men.

You stick with your swim buddy at all times. You succeed together, and you fail together. You fight side by side, and if one goes down, the other carries him off of the battlefield to help. You never leave your swim buddy.

Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs, Mark 6.7a, "And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs", and the Old Testament says, "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart." (Ecclesiastes 4.9-12) We weren't meant to live life alone. We were made for relationships, and within those relationships, we need a swim buddy.

Back when we were in college, Aaron used to tell me all the time "I've got your back." At the time it just sounded cool, but as I've thought about it since then, I realize what he was saying, "I'm with you no matter what. If things get crazy, I'm right behind you and we'll make it through the chaos together." Aaron and I have a weird relationship. We never really did a whole lot, pretty much just lifted weights and hung out with the same group of friends, but he's one of the first two people I talk to when something is happening. When I found out about both of my girls, I called him first. When my marriage began to fall apart, he was who I reached out to. Aaron has been my swim buddy for nearly 13 years.

Asking for help and admitting need has never been easy for me, even with Aaron, but I've started to realize that it's ok to need help. Aaron has shown me over more than a decade that he isn't going anywhere. He told me years ago, "I've got your back", and he always has. I've got to learn to lean on my swim buddy. I've got to learn to be more open and vulnerable with him, he's shown me that I can trust him and count on him; he's proven to be swim buddy of the highest caliber.

God made us to do life together. Pray for Him to reveal your swim buddy, and when He does, be a worthy swim buddy.

TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!