Sitting on the shore, the balmy weather captivated us as we took in the beauty and surprising glory of the moment.  The rain threatened to soak us, so we figured we might as well get wet in the water.  Awkwardly, we backed into the breaking waves and plunged into our adventure.  When it’s been a while, snorkeling takes practice.  Your breathing has to adjust to the pressure of the water and you have to calm yourself, trusting the tube to bring the oxygen to your lungs without filling them with water.  We both sputtered and coughed a few times as we calibrated our bodies to the new environment.

Once adequately adjusted, we put our faces in and kicked out, our eyes squinting against the stirred up water.  The waves had swept the fine sand from the ocean floor and had made the view slightly blurry.  Then, from the shadows, he rose.  Gliding gracefully, the huge sea turtle made his way to the surface.  I squealed at Lisa, pointing at where she should focus her eyes.  Sharing that time and space with that majestic creature made the cares of the world melt away as I delighted in God’s creation.  If we didn’t do ANYTHING else this whole trip, this moment was well worth the money, time, and sacrifice we had spent to get here.  We were here on business, BUT GOD, in His infinite goodness, had chosen to bless us.  Miraculously, this was only the first of many times we witnessed the mysterious and secret underworld of the ocean God created.

Snorkeling off of a different beach brought new wonder.  Light played on the smooth, wrinkled, sandy bottom and glistened off of the colorful coral reefs, God-made strobes lighting on one-of-a-kind sculptures of living organisms.

Dull, brown, pitted rocks were host to pink, purple, and orange urchins and coral formations.  Fish of many kinds were swept rhythmically back and forth with the tide, exploring their watery home with movements that rivaled young children exploring new playground equipment.  As they swam down below me, I longed to join their play and dance along with them with the rocking tide.  What would that take, I wondered. 

I continued to watch, a human imprisoned on the surface, envious of the freedom of the deep.  Then, the idea struck me.  All I need to do is forsake the security of this snorkel, take a deep breath, and dive deep.  Could I hold my breath?  How deep IS it?  This could be considered risk!

I pulled the snorkel from my mouth, threw my head back, and sucked in a deep breath.  Pushing my head under, I used the flippers to thrust myself deeper.  Exciting new details and colors came into focus as I dove down, further and further from my comfort zone on the surface.  I felt like I was a part of a new reality, playfully swimming with colorful fish of all different kinds.  It was so exciting that I forgot my age, the cares of my life, my hurting and confused heart.  These fish didn’t have a care in the world!  Oh, I wanted to TOUCH them!  I reached my hand out and kicked, trying to greet them with at least a finger’s caress.  It wasn’t to be.  As my need for oxygen increased and the depth brought sharp pain to my ears, I allowed myself to emerge from the magical depth.  That one taste of Heavenly delight was all it took, though, to keep me repeating the deep-plunging adventures.

The joy I experienced in those moments was spiritual.  I sensed that I was intimately connected to my Heavenly Father, the Creator of this watery universe that is usually hidden from me.  It made me realize how often I must miss the beautiful details of my own life.  How much do I miss out on because I feel like I have to stay on the surface of things in order to protect myself?  While I never want to live in fear again, how much do I allow thoughts of comfort and lack of suffering to tempt me to remain in a safe zone?  This was the life lesson I needed.  In that moment, I vowed to myself that, from now on, I would dive deep into the experiences God puts in my life, taking deep breaths of trust in Him, forsaking the things that bring me security, and plunging into uncharted territory.  If I don’t, how much delight and joy will I miss by staying on the surface?

I couldn’t resist sharing this revelation, so I got Lisa’s attention.  God was speaking to her just as clearly, but in different ways.  I was looking at the people on the shore, the ones who weren’t in the water, and thinking about how much they were missing out on.  Lisa saw them with new insight.  “Look at those people.  They’re not in the water, but they are seeing things that we can’t see out here.  Everyone is on their own journey.”

Yes, I realized.  We are all on our own journey.  Those people on the shore had to take their eyes off of the horizon in order to look down and see the creatures in the tide pools.  Their risks were different than mine, but they were risks none-the-less.  I have no doubt that God takes all of this into consideration when He chooses to reveal Himself to us.  What I need to see of Him is different than what someone else needs to see of Him, but yet He is with each of us just the same.  He is in the smooth sand that squishes between your toes in a refreshing and relaxing walk on the beach during those times that life is gentle.  He is on the sharp and slippery rocks of the tide pools where life threatens to make us fall.  He is on the surface where the view from above is a bit more distant and safe, the details of the future safely blurred from our vision.  He is also in the depths, the risky places where you have to take a deep breath and plunge down deeper still in order to capture a snapshot of His blessings.  No matter what, though, HE is an ever-present and loving God who holds each of His creations, great or small, in a balance of motion and life that is perfectly planned by His omniscient spirit.