Treasures awaited me down under the sea, but I had to learn the skills to dive and then trust what I had learned in order to witness those treasures.
I loved being in water all my life and now I was certified to scuba dive! I had to overcome a lot of fear and have faith in my dive instructor’s expertise during the classes. It required all the courage I had to take off my mask 40 feet underwater, put it back on again and lift up one side to get the water out so I could see. I know what you’re thinking: How can you be underwater and put a mask back on and “lift up one side” to get water out? Don’t ask me why it works. I just know it does, and somehow I passed the test! The next nerve racking mandatory step was taking my air regulator out of my mouth to “buddy” breathe with my instructor. This overwhelming task almost made me give up and shoot to the surface to grasp for air!
Ah, but I had made it! I was suited up and ready for my first dive. I now bobbed in the crystal clear, warm blue ocean water in Cozumel, Mexico, ready to descend into the depths with nothing but white sand below me. Panic rose up. What was I supposed to do next? How many feet do we go down and then stop to adjust to the atmosphere? Ouch, my ears were in excruciating pain! I almost forgot how to relieve the pressure: hold my nose, blow air into my ears, move my head side to side, then a pop - instant relief. Thought after thought cascaded through my mind while my heart beat faster.
The dive master, Orlando, moved closer to help me descend. He pointed to my depth gauge and gave me the “OK” sign, and we let air out of our vests and sunk to the bottom. He led the group to a big coral head with openings and directed us to peek inside. To my amazement, there were huge red lobsters congregating in the coral cave! These lobsters were happy to remain concealed and without Orlando’s direction, we never would have found them. They didn’t come out to greet us; we had to pay attention and find all the unseen activity around us. The lobsters were hidden, like so many other sea creatures lurking in the holes in the coral: eels, shrimp, sponges and of course fish!
On so many of these dives, I missed the beauty of these creatures because fear kept me focused on what could go wrong. I constantly watched my depth, air level and buoyancy, letting air in and out of my vest so I wouldn’t float to the top or sink to the bottom. A lot to keep up with for a new diver, and the fear wouldn’t allow me to relax. We would get back to the boat and everyone would be excited exclaiming, “Did you see that huge barracuda, and the lit up squids dancing back and forth were amazing!” How in the world did I miss all that? Oh, well at least I made it back to the boat alive!
They were such expert divers that fear did not enter in to their experience. They enjoyed each minute and celebrated God’s treasured creation that most people never get to personally witness! Treasures awaited me down under the sea, but I had to learn the skills to dive and then trust what I had learned in order to witness those treasures. When we muster our courage and overcome fear, God can and will do great things in our lives. I have experienced some awesome dive trips since then and I enjoyed them more after I learned not to let anxiety control me.
How many of us let fear control our lives and even our relationship with God? We are living in dread of the “what ifs” that will probably never happen. How many times do we forget that our “Dive Master” Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, is leading us to navigate the unseen in this life?
Do you seek God’s treasures for your life and pay attention to the whispered truths all around you? Or do you miss His voice because you don’t pray? Or His message because you don’t read your Bible?
Are you finding His treasures along your journey? Do you pay attention to the secrets the Bible is trying to share? He spoke in parables to His disciples because He wanted those who were truly listening to glean from His message.
Are you listening?
God’s Word is Truth. When we Trust it, He becomes our Treasure! Are you just barely making it through alive? Or are you experiencing His Treasures? Cindy L. Smith