The Shadow Of My Porch Swing - Part 4Sample

Oh, the Depths

A few years after we had our twins, a dear friend offered to teach my husband, Chris, and I how to scuba dive. Living in the middle of the country, a full day’s drive from the nearest ocean, it seemed a strange opportunity but we had learned to not kick gift horses in the mouth. Words don’t even begin to describe how that experience changed us and we began planning a grand celebration for our fifteenth wedding anniversary: diving the Great Barrier Reef. We have dear friends who have moved back to Australia, so making the trip held advantages in more ways than one. After years of planning, saving and seeking God for timing, we found ourselves waiting to board the Tusa6 dive boat headed out to the Great Barrier Reef...on Chris’s birthday no less.

Excitement coursed through my body as I suited up and took that giant step off the boat into the Coral Sea. Chris never has any trouble jumping in and heading straight down, but every time I dive, I panic...just for a minute. (You know it’s not natural to breathe underwater.) Encouraged by my husband, I regained composure and began sinking deep below the surface. Five meters, ten meters, twenty meters. The beautiful expanse of the sea floor unfolded before us like a giant tapestry. We kept an eye on the local guides as blue sea stars, giant clams (that I could have fit inside), exotic fish, and a green sea turtle swam circles around us. For an entire morning we explored ridges and valleys, crevices and coral shelves, yet upon surfacing each time, we found ourselves within earshot of the boat. What we had explored was truly just a drop in the ocean compared to what remained. Drying off on deck during the hour ride back, we saw glimmers of innumerable coral reefs passing just below the surface. Announcing their presence yet hiding the truth of the beauty and extravagance that lies within. 

Our creator God is even more extravagant. Revealing his presence in glimmers and glimpses yet containing unimaginable beauty below the vast surface of what we can see. A world of adventure that would take innumerable lifetimes to explore. He beckons us to jump in, sink deep, and trust him to be our breath as we explore the small drop of our life in the ocean of His plan. He is our ultimate guide, showing how each new turn opens up a world of intricate beauty we could never have found on our own. For half a day, I got to explore one of the seven wonders of the world, but I get to explore the wonders of my God every day for the rest of my lifetime.

Does thinking about going 'all in' with God make you panic? Where will He want me to go? How will I breathe? Trust Him and jump in. Don't let fear make you miss out on the relationship of a lifetime. He desires to show you His extravagance.

Father, I've just seen glimpses and glimmers of you from the surface. Help me to dive in and sink deep in your love. You desire to surround me, guide me, and show me parts of your nature that I never dreamed existed. I trust my next breath to you and open my eyes to experience your beautiful plan for me.