There is no sweeter group of people than elderly women.  This is especially true of believers. When you think of a nice person in your church, you probably picture an older  Christian woman. 

That’s my experience. But there’s an exception to this general rule: When elderly women get together in a swimming pool, they become monsters. They’re like a school of sharks in the water. 

I enjoy swimming as a form of exercise. I can’t tell you how many times these ladies, who are sweet as can be when outside the pool, have turned on me in the water. They’ve yelled at me, telling me that I need to stop swimming. They say I’m ruining their perms by getting water in their hair. They yell that they’ve just had cataract surgery, and their doctors have told them not to get water in their eyes. I’m going to ruin their surgery by swimming past them and splashing. I’ve been told that I’m in their lane and need to move to the other side of the pool. (I have yet to see any of their names on a particular lane.) On more than one occasion, these sweet ladies have reported me to the manager of the pool so that I might be forcefully removed from the premises. It would be OK with them if I were sent to prison for my heinous crimes. 

I’ll admit that I’m a jerk and probably splash more than many when I swim. I’m not a good swimmer and do not glide through the water. But these ladies are crazy. I would say that if you don’t want water in your hair or eyes, going to a pool where people swim laps is not an especially brilliant move. It never occurs to these ladies that I might not be the problem. 

However, I also know that in any other environment, especially when they are alone, these women would not act crazy and mean. They would realize how irrational their pool-related actions are. The flesh comes out when they congregate. 

Men can do the same thing. Peter knew that it was acceptable to eat with Gentiles. He learned that lesson when the Lord sent him to Cornelius’ home in Acts 10. But when he later got together with a group of Jewish friends who came from Jerusalem, he turned on his fellow Gentile believers. Peter refused to eat with them (Gal 2:12). Paul had to point out Peter’s craziness and hypocrisy to him. I wish the manager had done that to the women in the pool. 

There is a general principle here: It can be dangerous to hang around with like-minded folks. Every group has its likes and dislikes. Every group shares some kind of background. We can look on those outside our group with suspicion. Without realizing it, we can mistreat them. A group can embolden us to do things and act in ways that would never happen if we were alone. 

We all encounter believers who are different from us. They have different backgrounds and tastes. Such differences can lead us to act in ways we ordinarily would not. Generally, these differences don’t involve something that is, in and of itself, sinful. However, if we hang around with a group that avoids certain practices, we can start to judge those who do those things. Conversely, if our group does things a certain way, we can judge those who don’t. We can sin against those who are not in our group. We can be mean to them the way the elderly women in my pool—some of whom may even be Christians—often are to me.  

Let me give an example. I’ve been in churches in Africa where the people dance every time they have the opportunity. They dance as they come into the church. They dance when they come up to sing as a group. They dance as they collect the offering. They dance when they leave the building. As an individual, I sit there and think, “What a different and beautiful experience! I love the African culture!” But if I were sitting there with twenty people from America, we might say, “All this dancing is weird. It takes away from the somber atmosphere of worship. They should not be dancing in church. They should spend that time in the Word. This is a sin!” 

Is this example an exaggeration? Perhaps. But if you have a sweet old lady in your church who goes to a pool for exercise, follow her one day. Sit on the side of the pool and watch her turn into a shark when she gets together with her friends. Let it serve as a warning. Peer pressure can change us. 

P.S. My wife tells me people don’t know when I’m joking. When mature women yell at me and try to get me arrested, I know they aren’t serious. They are neither monsters nor sharks. They are not mean. I love them.