I've heard people say that the last thing a fish will notice is the water in which it swims. We never give much attention to this kind of saying until we find ourselves to be fish out of familiar water! At such a moment, we start to wonder if it just might be true that we are more defined by our culture, upbringing, and education than we dare admit. We discover less rationality and more biases in our attitudes, ethics, and logic.

So why does a fish leave familiar waters and venture into strange rivers and brooks? And should it?

My own journey in life includes leaving familiar waters. In my late teens, I became involved with a local Youth for Christ group. Since I was raised in the Dutch Reformed Church, Youth for Christ widened my view. Here I found people from various denominations who were serious about their faith in Jesus. I began to question much of what I had always taken for granted.

Later, when I learned about the Church of the Nazarene, I was pleasantly surprised that this denomination was comprised of groups coming together who had strong and differing beliefs regarding, for instance, the Second Coming or baptism. Still, they recognized in each other the same holy fire that enabled them to overcome differences that had split many other churches. Weakness? No, I strongly believe this is a strength. As I communicate with other Nazarenes from around the world, I find that a myriad of issues can divide—and they will—unless we learn to accept differences of opinion and understand what unites us and what really matters. Phineas Bresee called those things that truly matter the "essentials."

Through time, I have found that religion is not the hottest battlefield. The hottest area is politics. Talk about social justice, capital punishment, or war, and you will open a can of political worms. It seems strange, in a way. How can we think so very differently from Nazarenes with whom we agree on many non-political issues? Again, the key is the water in which we are swimming.

Being Dutch, I don't support every ethical decision made by my Parliament, though I do share the pragmatic outlook and history of my fellow citizens. For instance, before we had any social security, the Dutch Reformed Church "provided" for the poor often in humiliating ways. Most likely no one in my country wants to return to this system. With all its faults, people much prefer government-run social security. Or take this example: The Dutch had a very traumatic experience in 1995 relating to a peace force in the former Yugoslavia. Hence, they take utmost care to avoid a similar disaster. These kinds of things are the essentials that define who we are as a nation.

In order to communicate well with other "fish," we need to understand the water they swim in, as well as our own watery abode.

Sometimes this means we have to leave the river to which we are accustomed—and granted, that can be scary—to test the waters others experience. We have a great example. Hebrews 4:15 says we don't have "a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses." God can understand our weaknesses because He actually became human. Talk about leaving familiar waters!

Hans Deventer is a layperson and the Netherlands District Advisory Board Secretary.

Holiness Today, September/October 2006

Please note: This article was originally published in 2006. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.