Teaching an Earthworm to Swim

I came upon Vince and Elliot (my sons) studying a little glass with some water in it.  "What are you doing, boys?"  I asked them.

"We found this worm," Elliot told me.  "And now we are teaching him to swim!"

"Really," I said and looking closer saw the poor earthworm floating in the water.  "How is he doing?"

"Not very well,"  Elliot said.  "But maybe he will figure it out soon."

I never followed up to see if Mr. Earthworm ever learned to swim, but I doubt it.  It probably would be better to spend time in designing earthworm sized flotation devices than teaching them to swim.  It isn't in their nature and physical capability to do so.  They were created to burrow in the earth and that is what they do really well.

Perhaps it seems like a different subject entirely, but this is the same reason that we humans struggle to be good.  Ever since the Fall in the Garden of Eden, our nature and hearts incline towards darkness and sin.

It is for this reason that Jesus came and died.  He came not only to atone for our sins, but also to create in us a new nature, capable of serving God the way He desires.

Without that changed heart, we are incapable of learning to be righteous before God.

You may be able to teach the world to sing, but you can't teach an earthworm to swim.

It needs a change in nature, not just a change in knowledge.