In October of 2007, we had a wonderful vacation in Hawaii with some of our good friends. One of the highlights for me was snorkeling in the ocean. From the minute I first experienced it, I couldn’t get enough of it. I wanted to snorkel every chance I got. The water was beautiful, warm, clear – and what we saw under the water was nothing short of awesome. I loved it. Floating along on top of the water and being able to see so much of the tropical sea life up so close was absolutely fascinating to me. In fact, snorkeling immediately became a new definition of pleasure! I was ready to move to Hawaii and become a beach bum.
In the months before we left for Hawaii, our friends Dave & Lisa had decided to sign up for a scuba diving excursion offered by our cruise ship. Well, never in my life had I desired to go scuba diving, but after hearing that Lisa was going to do it, I started thinking that if I didn’t give it a try, I could be missing out on something really great – and I never want to miss out on something great! My husband had earned his scuba diving certificate before we were married, so I knew he would enjoy it; our friends Doug & Cindy were also going on this trip and Doug had earned his diving certificate along with Danny, so I talked to Cindy and we decided we would be adventurous and give it a try. But instead of booking the excursion through our cruise ship with their big price tag, we booked with a scuba diving company direct. One of the benefits here was that we would have a short training session in a swimming pool first and if Cindy and I weren’t feeling comfortable at the end of our little training, we could opt out of the ocean dive and pay only a small fee. We would then just spend the afternoon on the beach while the boys did the dive. This sounded like a win-win situation to us – so we signed up!
Well, we arrived at the dive shop and after signing some sort of release stating that if we drowned it was our own fault and we wouldn’t hold anyone else responsible, we were fitted for our wetsuits and oxygen tanks and all the other stuff you have to wear -- and then we headed out to the pool for our training.
We started in the shallow end – the water was 4 feet deep. Now I have to tell you that I was not entirely comfortable with this whole contraption that was strapped onto me. I immediately realized that this was not going to be as easy to catch onto as snorkeling. I mean, after all, to snorkel all you had to do was float and stick your face in the water; occasionally you might see something that was worth making a little dive down into the water for, but basically it was no more than floating and breathing through the snorkel thing; and when you needed a little break, you just rolled over to float on your back so that you could breathe freely for a few minutes without the snorkel.
So now following the instructor’s lead, I put the mask on and went under water. I struggled with staying down – with all the buoyancy of the wetsuit, I was fighting not to float to the top. So, no problem – the instructor simply plunked some MORE weight into my weight belt. Now I was able to stay down, but after only a few seconds, I had to surface and rip that air supply off so that I could kind of relax and catch my breath – breathe freely on my own. The whole idea that my only source of air was through that little piece of rubber in my mouth created a hint of panic in me. And after only a few attempts, doubt began to creep it’s way into my mind. Danny and Doug were doing fine – this was just a little refresher for them; and Cindy seemed to be doing just great, too. My mind was beginning to think of a way out – but my pride wouldn’t allow me to be the first one to take the chicken exit; so even though I wasn’t sure I could do it -- I determined to hang in there.
We worked our way from the shallow end of the pool to the deep end. I was hanging in there – but definitely not feeling comfortable or confident. Cindy began to have a few issues with her ears – you have to clear them as you go deeper – and I thought, oh, sweet relief – if Cindy couldn’t get her ear situation worked out, that might be my way out! After all, being the good friend that I am, I wouldn’t dream of letting her sit on the beach by herself while the rest of us were at the bottom of the ocean!
We finished our training and apparently the instructor felt we were adequately prepared to make our first little dive in the ocean. I just knew Cindy was going to opt out because of her ears – but to my surprise, she looked at me and said, “I think it will be fun – I just hope I can clear my ears; but I’m game, are you?” No way in this world was I going to be the quitter, the party-pooper, or the chicken – so you bet, I was game!
We got down to the ocean and there we see our friends, Dave & Lisa. Their little training had taken place right there in the shallow waters of the ocean. And they also weren’t weighted down with all the scuba garb we were equipped with – they had just the bare necessities – fins, mask and small oxygen tanks. So we wrestle our way into these wetsuits – and because we’ve already had them on and off they are wet -- which is enough in itself to wear you out right there. I’m pretty sure I was carrying the equivalent of my own weight with everything that was hanging on me. Then we learn that we have to swim out to this buoy where we will start the dive. I’m not sure how far it was but with all that equipment, it felt like we had swam a marathon by the time we got there. I kept waiting for Cindy to say she was giving it up – and she didn’t, so I wouldn’t – but I thought I was going to die from exhaustion before I ever made it out to that buoy. Our instructor gave us a few minutes to try to catch our breath before we went down. And while I’m floating on the water out there I look over to the direction where Dave & Lisa were and here they were with their little tanks and fins and masks – holding on to a rope while their instructor pulled them out to their buoy that was only half the distance to ours. They had smiles on their faces – they were having a great time. And I’m laying there so exhausted that it’s taking everything I’ve got to not quit.
Finally, the time had come – do it or don’t. We turned on our air supply and when it was my turn, I made my way to the bottom. 40 feet down. I did pretty good for the first minute or two, then it hit me that I was too far down to hold my breath all the way up to the top and that there was no option but to breathe through that little rubber mouthpiece. I used one hand to make sure my mouthpiece didn’t fall out – convinced that it if did I would drown. Panic was slowly overtaking me and I started breathing so hard and so fast that I just knew if I didn’t get a grip I would be out of oxygen in no time. I looked at the others and saw these little streams of bubbles gently floating to the top – I was sending up explosive blasts every time I exhaled. I was oblivious to my surroundings – just knew that I was sucking in that air with the biggest gulps I could take as fast as I could take them. Finally, the instructor grabbed my shoulders and was motioning to me to slow down and take deep, slow breaths. Over and over he repeated the hand motions, like b-r-e-a-t-h-e s-l-o-w-l-y, b-r-e-a-t-h-e s-l-o-w-l-y. I looked right back at him and shook my head, indicating, “I understand, I understand, but I can’t, I can’t.”
It took me about 5 minutes before I finally calmed down and got a grip. And when I finally did, I started to notice what was around me. It was magnificent! Indescribable! The same types of fish that I had been watching from the surface with such fascination while snorkeling a few days earlier, were now swimming right between my arms and my hands – they were right there at my touch. I could see every detail of every creature. Their colors just came to life down there. Every direction I looked was something more beautiful to explore. In no time, I forgot that I was exhausted from the long swim out. I forgot that just minutes earlier I was in complete panic mode. Within the first 10 minutes I had snapped every picture on my waterproof camera – I wanted so badly to capture what I was seeing so that I could share it with everyone I knew. I absolutely cannot describe this peaceful yet thrilling adventure. This topped by far anything else I had ever done. It is definitely one of the most memorable times of my life. I want to go back. I can’t wait to go back again –I want to spend more time in that ocean.
Last Spring, I received a phone call from my daughter, Layne, with news that rocked our world. After only 17 months of marriage, her husband had decided that he just wasn’t sure if he wanted to be married. He left that day, saying that he needed some time to think.
Before the initial shock could even begin to wear off, Layne paved the road for our journey ahead: She had made a covenant with God and it was her intention to honor that covenant and to be obedient to God – at all costs. She had no anger toward him, she was not bitter, she loved him unconditionally, and she would do whatever she could to save her marriage. It was also clear that she was looking to me for wisdom, support, encouragement and understanding. With anger and bitterness violently knocking on my door, I knew that if I was going to be what she needed me to be, I was going to have to throw off my snorkeling mask and strap on the oxygen tanks – it was time to dive.
I spent 48 years snorkeling through my Christian life. Some of you know what I mean – years of listening to good sermons, teaching Sunday School and participating in Bible Study – many times pulling out the lesson on Monday night and plowing through 5 days worth of treasure so that I could show up on Tuesday with all the blanks filled in. Oh, I always had the best intentions – I knew I was cheating myself out of a deeper walk with God – but I bought into Satan’s lie that someday things would slow down and it would be easier when I had more time. Oh, sure, there have been those seasons when it was necessary to take a little dip down into the deeper waters to make it through a rough time, get some clarity, maybe find some guidance or encouragement along the way. But for me, this crisis in our life has required more than a little dip down to get a closer look.
The first few weeks following that phone call were just like my first five minutes of scuba diving. The pressure of expectations I couldn’t meet on my own drove me to dive into God’s Word looking for what I didn’t have – a stronger faith, words of wisdom, hope and encouragement for Layne. I breathed in as much as I could as fast as I could. God’s Word became my sole source of oxygen. And then as if God grabbed my shoulders and told me to b-r-e-a-t-h-e s-l-o-w-l-y, a peace came over me and I began to notice my surroundings.
No matter how bad life’s circumstances seem, He is the Alpha and the Omega – the Beginning and the End. God is all I need – and I need Him all the time! Faith comes from hearing God’s Word – His Word is the source. His Word strengthens my faith – it builds me up when I feel down. God’s Word is my nutrition – and I must eat for myself in order to grow. And as we learned in “Believing God,” the more I know Him the more I believe Him. I can’t help but think of Michael W. Smith’s song “Breathe” …
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me
This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me
And I'm desperate for you
And I'm lost without you
How thankful I am that God has used some extra weight in my belt to cause me to spend time in His Word!
Spending time in God’s Word has become my pathway to understanding.
Spending time in God’s Word strengthens my faith because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
Spending time in God’s Word shapes the way I view things by conforming my mind to God’s viewpoint.
Spending time in God’s Word helps me to overcome temptation to sin.
Spending time in God’s Word guards my mind.
Spending time in God’s Word provides the strongest and sweetest words for ministering to others in need.
Spending time in God’s Word provides the opportunity for fellowship with Jesus because He talks to me through His Word and I talk to Him in prayer.
Looking back at that scuba experience I see so many analogies that we can apply to our Christian walk…
• All those pictures I snapped down there under water – they just don’t do it justice. I simply cannot adequately describe or share with you what the treasure is really like – you’ve just got to dive in and see for yourself!
• We don’t need all the bells and whistles to get started. My group had the whole nine yards – the complete outfit; Dave & Lisa had only the bare necessities. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve been inspired to start diving into God’s Word – to establish that perfect morning routine. I bought just the right journal, the perfect book on prayer or the best daily devotional book that would keep me on track. But by the time I reached the buoy, I would give up without ever diving down and finding the promised treasure – I reverted back to snorkeling with just an occasional dip into the deeper waters.
• Dave & Lisa were willing to make a sacrifice and pay the higher price; we chose the “cheaper” route that included a chicken exit in case we decided to give up. Because of their sacrifice, their entire day was much easier than ours! They didn’t have to travel to and from the dive shop, didn’t have to wrestle into those wetsuits, and didn’t have to make that long swim out to the buoy!
• It doesn’t matter how we get to the buoy – some of us swim carrying a lot of extra weight until we are utterly exhausted -- and then in desperation we finally grab onto that little rubber mouthpiece and breathe in; others just simply grab onto the rope and easily adapt to the air coming from that little mouthpiece – but no matter how we get there, we can all find the same treasure. Hebrews 12 tells us to lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.
• God wants you to seek a closer relationship with Him – and if He has to, he might just keep adding more weight to your belt until there’s enough to get you there.
• When we feel totally exhausted, discouraged, hopeless, worn out and feel like we just can’t make it to the buoy – it’s okay! We don’t have to go to the farthest buoy out there before we dive in. Looking back – I could have started swimming under water when I was only waist deep – how much easier that would have been! In Isaiah 40 we read, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and become weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
• Am I keeping company with “spiritually adventurous friends” – the kind of friends that make me want a piece of the action? Am I being that kind of friend for others?
• Once you’ve been there and caught site of the treasure, you will want to go back – you will want to spend more time there! It will become your new definition of pleasure!
Here’s one thing I know… His mercies are new every morning and the deeper I submerse myself into God’s Word, the more I find it filled with precious treasures.
Lamentations 3 -- Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
I don’t know where you are today, but God does not want you to miss out on the action! If you’re feeling exhausted and weighted down – breathe in God’s Word! If you’re still snorkeling, don’t wait for that phone call that rocks your world; just grab onto the air supply, start breathing and dive in – there’s a treasure waiting for you! Learning to breathe in God’s mercy and grace is indescribably peaceful and thrilling. Nobody can do it for you or adequately describe it for you – you need to go find the treasure for yourself!
Psalm 119:162 “I rejoice in your Word like one who discovers a great treasure.”
Are you rejoicing in His Word?
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