There’s an old
problem-solving technique called “The Five Whys.” It’s simple in its execution.
You start with a problem:
We can’t go on the vacation we’ve been planning.
Ask: Why? (Number 1)
We had to spend a big chunk of that money on a car
repair.
Ask: Why? (Number 2)
The car broke down unexpectedly.
Ask: Why? (Number 3)
(Sheepishly) Because I haven’t been maintaining it.
The idea is that by the
time you’ve asked “Why?” five times, you’ve arrived at the root cause of the problem
you’re facing.
King David is one of
the most famous characters in the Bible. He had incredible highs and also some
very low lows. In the end, this “man after God’s own heart” was an imperfect
human, but he always sought God’s mercy and forgiveness.
His most famous shortcoming
occurred with a beautiful woman named Bathsheba. Here’s a quick refresher from 2 Samuel chapter 11:
11 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.
2One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her.
Bathsheba, of course, became pregnant. David made matters
worse by trying to cover it up, and when that didn’t work, he had Bathsheba’s
husband intentionally killed in battle. It took a prophet to confront him in
order to make him admit his wrongdoing. While there’s much we can learn
from David, we’ll focus on this tragic tale and try to apply a lesson to our
own lives. Let’s use the “Five Whys” with David’s situation:
David got taken to task by Nathan the prophet for murdering an innocent man.
Why? (Number 1)
David ordered the death of Uriah, one of his faithful warriors.
Why? (Number 2)
He had an affair with Uriah’s wife Bathsheba.
Why? (Number 3)
David saw her bathing on the rooftop and decided that he had to have her.
Why? (Number 4)
He wasn’t where he was supposed to be, fighting with his army at Rabbah.
And here we have the root cause. The text doesn’t say why David remained
behind in Jerusalem; it just says that he did. By not being with his army, as
was the custom of the day’s kings, it opened the door to temptation, which
resulted in adultery, lies, and murder.
While you may not be in charge of an army, there’s probably been at least one time in your life when
something bad happened because you were somewhere you didn’t belong.
The lesson here? Be where you’re supposed to be.
If you’re a Christ-follower, God has equipped and tasked you to perform
certain functions or roles here on Earth. Once you know what He wants you to
do, you can either run from it (think Jonah) or you can work toward it (think
Paul). The road is never guaranteed to be easy, but there’s peace of mind when
you work toward it. Running from it causes restlessness, unrest, and numerous
complications.
The simplest way to avoid all of that? Be where you’re supposed to be.
Tomorrow is Valentine’s
Day. It’s often viewed as a time to pause and reflect on the “special-ness” of
the important people in your life.
While the celebration
of love is nice, our culture seems to have adopted the idea that “anything
goes” in the name of love, and that finding true love means everything after
that point will be perfect. Love stories end with the main characters living
“happily ever after.” The unfortunate fact is that taking two imperfect people
and placing them in a relationship will always yield less-than-perfect results.
Sadly, many committed relationships crumble despite the noble intentions of
those involved.
People who have known
great heartache can therefore best appreciate the idea of a love that will not
fail.
In Bible times,
weddings worked a little differently from the way they do today. Back then when
a couple became engaged, the groom-to-be departed to make preparations for the
wedding, their living arrangements, and their future together. The bride-to-be remained
with her family while this took place, and she waited for the groom while he made
preparations. Without texts, emails, or any other expedient form of
communication, she would have to wait and be perpetually ready for her groom to
show up and whisk her away to their wedding and new life together. Imagine not
only having no input on the details of your own wedding, but also being left completely
in the dark about when it would even take place!
This is the situation where
we currently find ourselves. We’re waiting, and we don’t know for how long. In
my last post I wrote a bit about the importance of the Church. The Church is
sometimes referred to as the “Bride of Christ.” Jesus has gone on ahead to make
preparations, but He fully intends to return for us, the Church:
…I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that
where I am, there you may be also.
John 14:2c-3.
Now that’s a kind of
love we can celebrate.
Like in Bible times, we
receive very little information about the details of when the Bridegroom is
planning to come back. Even though we live in an era of instant gratification, lack
of a specific date on the calendar actually changes very little about what’s
important in this case. It’s important to remember that while waiting, we are
to remain faithful and we are to remain ready, no matter how long it takes. It
is imperative that we watch with expectation and with anticipation, ever on the
lookout for when our Lord will make His return and escort us to a deeper phase of
our relationship with Him.
The question is…have
you stopped making yourself ready? You know in your mind that He’ll come
someday, but it probably won’t be anytime soon, right? I mean, it’s been about
2,000 years since Christ walked the earth; what are the odds that He’ll come
during this lifetime?
What you decide to do
is up to you, but I’ll pose one last question to you today. Are you living
faithfully for the one to whom you are betrothed?
If you’re a Christian,
the world sometimes seems like it’s getting darker. The culture is becoming
more and more godless. Today’s young adults are less and less interested in
attending church. Many local churches are dead or dying, and many of those still
around are consumed with arguments over what kind of music to play or what
should or should not be present on the stage during the worship service, rather
than reaching the lost.
This is exciting stuff.
You read that right.
This is exciting. Why?
Because the Church
(capital “c”) is God’s plan for reaching the world. Regardless of the current
state of affairs, the Church is going to emerge triumphant. That’s a fact. If
the times we’re living in are making today’s local church bodies less and less
relevant in reaching the lost, that simply means that the Church we see today
is not the version that’s going to be most effective in performing the mission.
It means we’re in a time of transition to something new.
So what does that
future version of the Church look like? I can’t tell you.
It’s not that I know
and I’m withholding the information from you; I can’t tell you because I don’t yet
know the manner in which you’re going to be a part of helping the church
evolve. In other words, it’s exciting because the Church is going to be
effective in new ways because you, as a Christ-follower and part of the Church,
are going to change how the Church approaches the problem of delivering the
Gospel to people who haven’t heard it before.
Don’t look at the
current state of affairs and see despair; look at it and see that opportunities
abound! At its core, Christianity is about two things: loving God and loving
people (after all, only a handful of the 10 Commandments pertain to our
relationship with God; the vast majority of them deal with our relationship
with each other). In what way(s) are you able to develop a relationship with
someone for the purpose of glorifying God?
Can’t think of
anything? Start out with this: make friends with at least one person in every
decade of life. Regardless of what decade of life you’re currently in, imagine
the perspective you can gain by interacting with someone who has the black-and-white
outlook of a child, the idealism of a teenager, the enthusiasm of a
twenty-something, the ambition of someone in their thirties, the experience of
a mid-lifer, the expertise of someone in their fifties, the hindsight of a
sixty-something, the clarity of what’s important in life of someone in their
seventies, and the wisdom and life experience of everyone else. Whether or not
all those people are Christians, you’re going to learn something, and they
might too.
The Church is changing,
and that’s not a bad thing. If you see a spot where the Church should be doing
something but isn’t, you may have just found your calling. The entire purpose
of this blog is to come alongside you, put a hand on your shoulder, tell you that
God is capable of doing amazing things through broken and imperfect people, and
encourage and exhort you to use the resources and spiritual gifts God’s
provided…all for the purpose of reaching the lost and glorifying God. You’re not only capable of
helping the Church meet the world’s current needs, you were designed to.
The exciting part is that even though (and perhaps because) the Church will evolve, it’s going to reach people in ways it hasn’t before. So by all means, if you’ve been prompted to or are toying with the idea of doing something unconventional, yet purposeful…please…start pursuing that course and see where it goes.
I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it. –Matthew 16:18b.
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all
that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,to
Him be the glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. –Ephesians 3:20-21
We live near
Washington, DC, where traffic is a part of life. When we want to go visit
family that lives far away, sometimes we get up very early and hit the road in
the wee hours of the morning. After the initial excitement of stealing away
during the night, the kids usually settle down, lulled to sleep by road noise.
The last time we took a
trip like this in our minivan, everyone settled in soon after we got on the
highway and the inside of the vehicle was quiet. That’s when we noticed an
annoying squeak that happened each time we hit a bump in the road or the
vehicle’s chassis twisted slightly. It came from somewhere near the second row
of seats, a squeak that was quiet, but loud enough to be annoying if you’re
trying to fall asleep. We tried to track it down and stop it, with no success. After
awhile the kids were able to tune it out and fall asleep.
We eventually arrived
at our destination and had fun with family over Christmas. On several occasions
while we were there, I drove the van around town, just doing errands or driving
us to friends/family’s houses. I’d actively listen for the squeak, and it was
often audible, but it was hidden in the sound of the kids laughing, the current
conversation, or whatever was playing on the radio.
Just like the still
small voice of the Holy Spirit, the squeak is always there, but you have to actively
listen for it if there’s a lot of other noise going on. It doesn’t stop
squeaking, but it’s a lot easier to hear when there are no distractions. If
there’s a lot of other noise in the mix you have to deliberately focus in on it
to notice it. It’s much harder to get a fix on it if you have to pluck it out
of the background.
Are you having a
regular quiet time where you get alone with your prayer and devotions, away
from all the noise and distractions? If not, don’t be surprised that you don’t hear
from the Holy Spirit.
You’re an expert on
you; you know you better than anyone else. Take the steps you need to create
the right environment. If your phone is a distraction, shut it off during this
time. If you need to wake up earlier, before others are up and moving around,
maybe that’s the way to go. If you’re a night owl, finding the right time
before bed might be your sweet spot.
I’d urge you to do what
it takes to make your quiet time work. How agonizing would it be to one day
find out that God was whispering to you all along but you couldn’t hear Him
because of all the noise going on around you?
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10
Like what you’re reading? Subscribe or email Tim@daregreatlynow.com!
Want to hear some really exciting news? It doesn’t take much for God’s spiritual power to
be available to you.
Not long ago I was
reading in the book of Ephesians. It’s hard for me to read Paul’s letters. He
sometimes gets so excited that he starts a sentence focused on one topic, gets
distracted and sort of rambles on about something for awhile, then ends up in a
totally different area. To me, a single sentence of Paul’s can seem like the
Israelites wandering around the desert. Despite all the detours though, he
eventually arrives at his destination.
I’m blessed to have a
study bible that explains a lot of the text, context, and/or traditions of the
day that help me understand the text as it was originally written. In Ephesians
3:14-19, Paul expressed to his audience his desire that God would make His love
and fullness known to them. The part I want to zoom in on is verse 16: “…that He would grant you, according to the
riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the
inner man…”
Having a study Bible
helps me quite a bit when it comes to catching the main theme of what Paul’s
saying. For this verse, notes from the McArthur Study Bible say “Spiritual
power is a mark of every Christian who submits to God’s Word and Spirit. It is
not reserved for some special class of Christian, but for all those who
discipline their minds and spirits to study the Word, understand it, and live
by it. Although the outer, physical person becomes weaker with age, the inner,
spiritual person should grow stronger through the Holy Spirit, who will
energize, revitalize, and empower the obedient, committed Christian.”
Isn’t that amazing? If
you discipline yourself to regular study of the Bible and heed what it says,
God grants you access to something you didn’t have before. It’s extraordinary just
how ordinary it is. That brings me back to my point at the top of this post. It doesn’t take much for God’s
spiritual power to be available to you. Discipline yourself to study the Word, understand it, and
live by it.
Skipping ahead in
Ephesians to chapter 5, verses 15 and 16, Paul tells us how to spend our days: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not
as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Zeroing
in on that phrase “redeeming the time” in the notes helps lay out how we are to
be purposeful in our lives. Again, from the McArthur Study Bible: “The Greek
word for “time” denotes a fixed, measured, allocated season; with the definite
article “the,” it likely refers to one’s lifetime as a believer. We are to make
the most of our time on this evil earth in fulfilling God’s purposes, lining up
every opportunity for useful worship and service. Be aware of the brevity of
life.”
Be intentional in how
you spend your time, energy, and resources. To borrow a spinoff saying I saw on
tee shirts back when Reebok’s slogan was popular, “Life is short. Pray hard.”
The year 2020 is still
shiny and new, and it’s not too late to start working on some good habits. In
your life, if you combine the concept of “study the Word, understand it, and
live by it” with the concept of “redeeming the time,” you’re going to see some
exciting developments. God prompted me to write this, then He prompted you to
read this, and where it goes from here I don’t have a clue. That’s the beauty
of it though; even though you and I may only see a piece or two of the puzzle,
it’s all building toward a bigger picture. The key to it is that you and I have
to put forth some regular effort.
One of the first “grown
up” movies I saw as a kid was “Back to the Future.” It was a movie about a
high-schooler that used a crazy scientist’s time machine to travel back in time
30 years to when his parents were in high school themselves. It was my
introduction to the time travel aspect of science fiction, and I thought it was
pretty cool.
Two sequels followed. A
couple of my friends and I all loved the trilogy, and the three of us were
constantly quoting different parts of the movies to each other. We even had a
“Back to the Future” night for my buddy’s birthday sleepover, where we watched
all three movies in one night. A couple of years later I was a roommate with
that same buddy at a summer camp where we worked. One night after lights out I
recited the script of the entire first movie from memory to him.
This is an extreme (or
maybe misguided) example of what an engaged mind can do when it obsesses over
something. The three of us were around each other and tossed quotes back and
forth so often that they became second nature to us. The things we spent time
thinking about became the things most important in our relationship to one
another.
In the book of Philippians,
Paul tells readers to dwell on the things that are worthy of being, well,
dwelled on:
And now, dear brothers
and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable,
and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are
excellent and worthy of praise. –Philippians 4:8 (New Living Translation)
I don’t think “Back to
the Future” quotes qualify, but I can see why Paul makes the point. The things
you frequently think about are the things your mind is moving toward.
Now that Christmas and
New Years have passed and we’re closer to getting back into the normal routine,
I challenge you to “think on” the things mentioned in Philippians 4:8. As far
as quiet time with God, prayer, doing Bible readings, or some other type of
devotionals, if you’re not someone who regularly practices them, consider
building those items into your 2020 routine. If you do them sporadically, but not
on a regular basis, consider doing them more routinely.
Try doing them for 30
days in a row. The reason you’ll often hear people talking about doing
something for 30 days is because that’s roughly how long it takes to develop a
new habit. In other words, if you were going to make this a part of your routine
for the rest of your life, the first 30 days would be the most difficult to
accomplish; after that it would be habitual and would require less conscious
effort to complete.
God can use you for
great things. Take the first step toward embracing that calling by spending
time dwelling on the things Christ taught and did. Hopefully by this time next
year, you’ll be closer to/more in tune with God than you are right now.
(Since it’s Christmas season right now, it’s Christmas movie time. For the first time my wife and I recently showed our kids a classic from our childhood, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, which helped give me the idea for this post.)
Both of my parents grew
up in New York City, and when I was a kid we’d go into the city to visit
family. Every now and then we’d branch off from family and take a trip into
Manhattan to go do some sight-seeing.
On one particular trip
into NYC, it wasn’t long after I first saw the second Home Alone movie. For
those of you that haven’t seen it, it’s about a 10-year-old kid that somehow
ends up flying to New York City by himself around Christmastime. While he
enjoys being a tourist at first, it doesn’t take long before things start
unraveling for him and he really wants to get back to his family.
As we walked around
NYC, the Plaza Hotel, the famous hotel featured in the movie, was on our list
of things to check out. Central Park is nearby, along with Rockefeller Center,
Radio City Music Hall, and a bunch of other famous sites.
We walked into the
hotel and it was really cool, because it looked almost exactly like scenes out
of the movie. (It’s funny how movies make places look bigger and brighter,
though.)
My amateur photography
Kevin in Home Alone 2
Just off the Plaza Hotel’s main lobby
I thought it was pretty
cool being there at a place where they filmed a movie I enjoyed. Everyone else in
the lobby was doing normal hotel stuff. There was a long line of people waiting
to check in, and as near as I could tell, none of them were even thinking about
the movie. I decided I’d snap a picture to remember this by. I walked over to a
spot where I could capture the check-in desk, raised my camera, and took a
picture.
The Check-in Desk at the Plaza Hotel in the early 1990s
I didn’t really
anticipate it as a kid, but now I understand why the hotel would want to make
its guests feel like their privacy was protected. Right after the flash went
off, a very large, well-dressed man strode across the lobby toward us, walked
around us, and stood directly behind me. He didn’t say a word, nor did he act
in a rude manner, but it was perfectly obvious my behavior was not welcome. We
took the hint and moved along.
Although it’s sort of a
strange tie-in, Christians can be a lot like that guy from the lobby. People
who know they’re not living right are uncomfortable when they’re around people
that are. If you’re a Christian it’s not necessarily your job to make people
feel uncomfortable, but sometimes God uses you as a reminder to others in a way
that pricks their conscience.
We’re coming up on the time of year where we spend time with loved ones that we may not see that often. That’s easy for some, not so easy for others. If you have a difficult time at Christmas because you’re around people you love, but don’t always get along with due to religious/lifestyle differences, just keep loving on them. Like the guy in the hotel, you don’t need to be rude or belligerent, you just need to be there. Don’t for a second feel bad for living the way God wants you to. God could be chipping away at their heart, and using you as a way of making them uncomfortable with the way they live when they know they’re not living the right way.
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. –John 13:35
When I was a kid I used
to love watching cartoons. I don’t know what happened since then, but I guess
somewhere along the line they decided they were going to stop making good
cartoons.
One of my favorite
cartoons to watch was “Duck Tales.” It featured Scrooge McDuck (of “Christmas
Carol” fame), the three young duckling triplets Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and the
lovable (but terrible) pilot, Launchpad McQuack.
Scrooge McDuck was a
greedy guy, there’s no doubt about it. Part of the draw for a younger me was
that he was always mounting expeditions to go in search of lost treasures. Off
to faraway jungles, canyons, deserts, mountains, the ocean floor…no matter the
danger, Scrooge McDuck’s greed drove him to adventure.
One such adventure
involved catching a leprechaun. The main characters caught a leprechaun and
demanded that he show them to the massive underground treasure caverns (because
a pot o’ gold at the end of the rainbow just ain’t enough sometimes). The
leprechaun showed them to the hidden entrance, which was under a young tree. I
don’t remember why they couldn’t go exploring down the tunnel right then and
there, but for some reason they had to temporarily abandon their quest. Knowing
that it would be extremely difficult to identify this one tree in the middle of
the forest, McDuck took out a handkerchief and tied it to one of the branches
of the tree. After binding the leprechaun by making him promise not to mess
with the hanky or the tree, the adventurers departed.
I think it was the next day when the treasure hunters returned. The hanky and the tree were indeed untouched, but now the forest was littered with hundreds of white hankies. The leprechaun had kept his promise, but still managed to obscure the value of the makeshift marker.
Let’s switch gears for
a minute. Take the perspective of Satan and the other fallen angels. You’ve had
definite limits imposed on you, but you’re free to meddle with humanity in
other ways. How can you divert people from the true way to God and eternal
life, which is a relationship with Jesus Christ? You can’t touch that one true
hanky, but you can sure hang up a lot of other ones that look enough like the
original to make the real one hard to spot.
Aside from
Christianity, there are a handful of major world religions on the scene, but
there are an untold number of minor ones, splinter groups, minor sects, and
other less popular religions. All of them are fake hankies.
In addition to using other
religions, the adversary attempts to muddy the waters for actual Bible-based
events. The focus of Christmas and Easter used to be Jesus’ birth and Jesus’
triumph over sin, respectively. Now it’s Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Being
a Santa fan doesn’t make you a bad person, but consider this: this Christmas,
are you and yours giving at least as much emphasis on the story of Jesus’ birth
as you are to Santa?
There’s a lot of
distraction out there, but remember the true reason for the season and the fact
that the adversary has to ask permission to launch certain attacks on
Christ-followers.
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission
to sift you like wheat…” Luke 22:31
8Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you
considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is
blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil.”
9Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God
for nothing? 10Have You not
placed a hedge on every side around him and his household and all that he owns?
You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in
the land. 11But stretch out
Your hand and strike all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your
face.”
12“Very well,” said the LORD to Satan.
“Everything he has is in your hands, but you must not lay a hand on the man
himself.”
Then Satan went out from the
presence of the LORD. Job 1:8-12
(Programming note: In observance of the Thanksgiving
holiday, I’m switching up this week’s posting schedule. Next week will be back
to Thursday.)
When my kids were very
young, like a lot of kids, they were pretty self-centered. This wasn’t a
surprise; when any child’s world is still very small, they naturally think of
themselves as the center of the universe.
My wife and I found a
way to start breaking them out of that thought process. Every night at bedtime,
we started doing what we call “Thankful Hearts.” We’d each say a few things for
which we were thankful. My wife and I started out with some examples. We might
say something like “I’m thankful we had enough food to eat today, I’m thankful you
didn’t get hurt worse when you fell down today, and I’m thankful our house is
keeping us warm and dry while it’s rainy and cold outside.”
It took a little
adjustment for them, but over time our kids began focusing less on their “I wants”
and more on their “I already haves.” This roundabout way of counting their
blessings helped our kids understand that it’s a special thing to have enough
when others don’t. That type of security allows people to turn their focus
outward; instead of our kids’ prayer requests sounding like a Christmas list
for items they wanted for themselves, they soon began bringing their requests
to God on behalf of the needs of others.
In a world where every
commercial or advertisement you watch, read, or hear tries to convince you that
what you already have is inadequate, it’s easy to become dissatisfied. That’s
the goal of advertising. It’s also easy to get caught in the whole “keep up
with the Joneses” mentality. Don’t forget though, especially as we head into
Christmas season, to be thankful for the areas of your life where you already
have “enough,” especially if you’re assured of your salvation through the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Thankfulness of that eternal assurance allows you to
be confident and enables you to turn your focus outward and share the good news
with those who, in that sense, aren’t as blessed as you are.
I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I
will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-2
The November after I
graduated college, I took an adventure trip to Australia. One of the parts of
the trip I was most excited about was the trip out to the Great Barrier Reef. I
had never been scuba diving before, and the Great Barrier Reef was like, legendary
from everything I’d heard. During this portion of the trip we all got on a boat
that took us miles from shore, and we stayed out there for two overnights.
The crew operating the
dive tour took us to several different locations known to be good diving spots.
Once they securely anchored the boat at a given dive site, we waited for a
designated time window before we could go in the water. Safety observers needed
to be in position, and we needed to receive a dive brief where we learned about
the features of the area, where to avoid, can’t-miss sites, and what depth
limits we should not break. During this leg of my Australian trip, I had the
opportunity to do about a dozen trips into the water, either snorkeling or
scuba diving.
For those of us that
were not scuba certified on this trip, we could pay a bit extra on some of the
outings and a staff member would teach us enough to get by, and would be our
dive buddy and personal guide during that particular dive. I wasn’t going to
come all the way to Australia and NOT go scuba diving on the Great Barrier
Reef. Since it wasn’t cheap though, I got a good mix of scuba dives and regular
snorkeling.
The reef was an amazing
thing to see, especially the amount and variety of life that lived there. The
reef itself sounded like it was fizzing and popping. When snorkeling, I would
hold my breath and dive down to get a closer look at some of the gorgeous
sites. While snorkeling, there was so much to see, even if you only dove down a
few feet. I started diving down more than a few feet, though. Equipped with flippers,
I was able to swim deep a little easier than normal. The more you do it, the
more your body gets used to it. A few times I dove down deep enough to be on
the same level as some of the divers.
On our last day at sea,
our last dive was coming up, and I was going to spend this dive snorkeling. We
all got into the water and started going our separate ways. I was kind of
swimming around aimlessly when I noticed a very large concrete block down on
the sea floor. It was one of the weights our boat anchored to. It was pretty
far down there. I decided I was going to try to get all the way down to it.
The first time I tried,
I started swimming straight down just to see how far I could comfortably go. I
wore a wetsuit that provided some buoyancy, and lungs full of air also helped
keep me afloat. The deeper I went though, the more the water pressure
compressed everything, so the buoyancy of my lungs and suit had less effect. I
gave it a half-hearted shot, but got nowhere near my goal before I turned
around and swam back to the surface.
I recovered on the
surface for awhile, but wanted to try again. I took a few quick, deep breaths,
and then surged straight down again. I kicked hard, driving deeper. I got much
closer to the block on the floor, but started getting concerned about not
having enough air to make it back, so again I turned around early and headed
up. Coming up from the depths has the opposite effect of going deep; your
buoyancy increases as you get closer to the surface. As I got shallower, I
could feel myself rising through the water more quickly, even if I slowed my
kicking.
I spent some more time
resting and letting my breathing return to normal before making another shot
without holding anything back. I did the quick breathing thing again and dove
hard with the most air I could possibly fit into my lungs. Again, I swam hard
straight down, pushing back more firmly against the nerves and survival
instinct the deeper I went. The block on the ocean floor became larger and
larger, and as I drew nearer I became more determined to reach it. It was
almost within my reach!
Finally, after a swim
straight down and what seemed like forever, I reached the block on the ocean
floor. With a major sense of accomplishment, I flipped over and placed my feet
on the block. I took a moment to look down at my feet on the concrete, then to
look around at this place I had fought so hard to get to.
Then I looked up. If we
could go back and see what I looked like, we’d probably see the color drain
from my face. On a free dive, being the deepest you’ve ever been also means
that you are physically the furthest away from oxygen that you’ve ever been.
Never, either before or since, have I seen such a large aquatic distance that I
had to cover so quickly. I became so focused on reaching my goal that I lost
sight of the fact that the trip to the block was only half of the swim.
I shot off the block
and began kicking furiously. I wasn’t far off the block before my lungs started
burning. I kicked as hard as I could, and tried a few strokes with my arms, but
that almost felt like it slowed me down. Have you ever held your breath so long
that your diaphragm starts going into convulsions? It’s your body’s natural
reflex, as though it’s trying to force you to take a breath. More than halfway
up, my diaphragm started convulsing. It’s one thing if you’re sitting on the
couch seeing how long you can hold your breath, but it’s different when the
muscle controlling your lungs starts having spasms underwater, and I got
worried that I wasn’t going to make the surface without inhaling a lungful of
seawater.
As I tried to keep my
body from betraying me, I noticed that I was rushing through the water. The air
in my lungs and wetsuit had expanded enough that it was again making me
buoyant, and my buoyancy was increasing as I moved toward the surface. The
water at this point was rushing past my face, and I could feel its flow
anywhere my skin was exposed to the water. Compared to being at depth, my lungs
were now so full they felt like they were about to explode, yet the air within
them was all but used up.
I needed air so badly
that I didn’t even want to waste time exhaling after breaking the surface. With
nothing left to spare, I blew out halfway just before breaking the surface and
took the most grateful gasp of fresh air I’ve ever taken in my life. Looking
back at my notes from the trip, I estimated at the time that the concrete block
on the ocean floor was about 10-12 meters, or about 35 feet, below the surface.
My muscles were spent
from the furious swim and the lack of oxygen, and I floated there panting as my
wetsuit kept me from sinking. After resting awhile, I was able to swim back to
the boat and make it safely aboard.
Have you ever thought about how, when you feel you’re
doing everything you possibly can, and it’s still not enough, the Holy Spirit
can cover the gap? The way the wetsuit
worked is sort of the same way the Holy Spirit does; it’s there, wrapped around
you and pushing you toward where you need to go. I’ve met amazing people that
have endured unbelievable hardships that have drained them of any strength they
held in reserve. When you ask them how they got through it, their answer
usually has something to do God’s grace. It might be “peace that passes
understanding.” Hearing their story and knowing that they withstood things that
would make the average person buckle or tap out reminds me that the Holy Spirit
empowers Christ-followers with the things they need for the task at hand, even
if that task is nothing more ordinary than to make it through the day.
This isn’t just for
people with extraordinary stories, like Samson or King David; it’s for you and
I, too. When we’re in the midst of excruciating trials or facing an
insurmountable obstacle, God gives us what we need to “make it back to the
surface.” Then, when it’s all over and we’re completely spent, He’s there
keeping us afloat while we catch our breath, sustaining us long enough for us
to make it back to safety.
“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.
For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself
makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who
searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes
intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27
“And when they had prayed, the place where they were
assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit,
and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”Acts 4:31
