when you are on the shore, but it certainly looks much farther from the water looking back to the shore. (By the way, I didn't take the photo shown here). Joshua of course was the brave one of the bunch and was anxious to go out as far as necessary to see whatever we could see.
Well, needless to say, I finally relented and went out to the ocean side of the first coral formation. We didn't see turtles, but we did see an amazing eel that was quite beautiful. It was pale yellow with green markings and looked like a ribbon. We also saw some fantastic fish, including several large puffer fish. All in all it was a wonderful experience and one which taught me some valuable lessons as well.
At the beach, I told Elisa that I didn't think I could go out far enough to see anything, and yes it was because it is quite scary. She asked me what would the Lord want me to do and there was no question that He would want me to spend that time with Joshua, so I went. The entire time I was reminding myself that God gave us dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. Thank God, we didn't see anything that I had to exercise that dominion over, however, it was a heart pounding experience. I am working myself up to the idea of going out on a boat with the boys to see the 150' deep submerged crater at Molokini. But, back to the lessons learned. When we first went out the sun was shining brightly and everything above and below the surface was illuminated. It was awsome! However, we hadn't been out at the edge of the reef long, when the sun ducked behind a cloud and you could barely see 3' below the surface. Just to be honest it gave me quite a scare. Here I was in this alien environment and everything was fine, as long as I had been able to see all around me - where I was going and where I had been. As soon as the sun was hidden the whole thing changed. Absolutely nothing had changed in the "world" I was "living" in, but without the presence of the sun to illuminate the path, it was terrifying.
In case you don't see the point of this parable, let me make it extremely clear. We live each day in a hostile, alien environment. The Bible says that we are strangers and pilgrims here. As long as we have the light of the "Son" shining in our lives, there is nothing that can overcome us, but take that away, even for just one moment, and it is easy to become overwhelmed by the "world" around us. It is vital for us to do everything we can to remain in the presence of His "light". Most of all that means doing nothing that would distance us from him or allow the clouds of our circumstances to come between His presence and our walk. I know that there have been many times lately that I have tried to make the journey without the "sonlight" that I needed and this was certainly a reminder to me of just how dependant I am upon Him.
It was only for a moment and then the sun was shining brightly once again, but it was enough. Enough for me to know with certainty that want to be out there if the sun isn't shining. Enough for me to know with certainty that I don't want to be here if the "Son" isn't shining. How easy it can be to forget just how much we need Jesus. I am thankful to God for the parables He is allowing me to walk through while I am here and I hope that they are some little help to those of you who are reading about them here.
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