Rough waters…

I don’t know exactly what I thought when I read about the disciples in the middle of the Sea of Galilee and the waters getting rough while Jesus slept. I do know now however that I’ve got a very clear image of their fear, their worry, and how it had to be divine sleep for Jesus that night! One of the big adventures of our trip to Belize has been to travel to the Blue Hole to dive to 130 ft for about 8 minutes. As “certified open water scuba divers” that is the maximum depth before you worry about decompression and the like. If you go earlier in the blog I think there is a video that someone took of the site. It’s not filled with beautiful fish or amazing coral but rather is a sinkhole in the water that goes very, very, very deep! What you can find in there are stalactites and stalagmites, as you would in any cave. You also find sandy outreaches and you wonder who would have walked in these areas when they were first caves (they say that’s what it used to be…). My image of the journey to the Blue Hole was one of a Caribbean cruise of sorts with lots of people having a great time. Well…that changed when we woke up at 5am for our 5:30am boat ride to the “big” boat (I think someone said 46 feet).
The wind was howling and it didn’t look real promising. Lisa, as I have been reminded a few times, doesn’t mind boats too much if the water is shallow or the boat is the size of a cruise ship. When she saw the rough waters she noted that she was going to be stepping outside her comfort zone. Our journey began with 30 minutes or so within the reef around Ambergris Caye (pronounced “KEY”) and it wasn’t too bad. Then we went out through the channel and into the open waters…Holy splash Batman! The driver later told Chris that the waves were 8-10 feet tall. I kept hearing the words of a familiar show from my youth, “The ship set sail for a three hour cruise, a three hour cruise”.
Thankfully we had a great captain and crew but that didn’t prevent me from holding on for dear life to a bar as far into the lower floor of the boat as possible. Matt was directly across from me – all of us had taken Dramamine but I wasn’t sure how good it would work as I noticed on the box that morning that the expiration date was 08/05 – and Lisa was beside him. Chris was up with the driver where he got completely soaked by the waves that simply washed over the windows through which we could see. For 45 minutes we went up and down, side to side, and I prayed mightily for strength and intestinal fortitude! 3 of our party ventured to the back of the boat where they either fed the fish or filled a bucket. Thankfully the noise of the twin Caterpillars kept the sounds to the back of the boat! Up and down, side-to-side, we moved and jumped.
At one point I left my seat (not my choice!) and Matt says I almost hit the roof (that means I went up about 2 feet). I immediately thought of Jesus and the disciples and will never again read those texts without feeling the motion, the anxiety, and the expression on Lisa’s face that told me just how much she was willing to sacrifice in the area of her own comfort so that the boys and I could share an experience as a family. Up and down, side-to-side, we moved and jumped. I found out once we got back that a tropical storm had passed through the area when we were on this trip! Glad I didn’t know earlier – I think…
I needed something to keep my mind occupied and though I am on renewal leave I decided to put together my sermon series for Advent. I needed something to focus on and with prayer being such a big part of it at that moment, it only seemed right to continue my close connection with God! To Ron (our BUMC worship coordinator) and anyone else who wants to read along, here is what I am thinking… “Secular Signs for a Sacred Season” with the four signs being 1) the early setup in retail stores for the Christmas sales season 2) The flyers and advertising that comes out immediately after Thanksgiving 3) the different specials and TV shows that we watch as we get ready for Christmas (The Grinch, Charlie Brown, Rudolph, etc) 4) Going to church on Christmas eve. I haven’t quite got the sermons done but I’ve got a real good start on them!
We made it into a second reef area (smoother waters) and then had another 40 minutes of open water. Finally we arrived in the reef around the Blue Hole and it was like paradise. The water was smooth, the sun was out, and the water was ready to welcome us..Thankfully, on the way back, as we went with the water towards our home it wasn’t as rough and the 3 hour trip out only took about 2 ¼ hours on the way back in. What a journey! Note to the disciples – I can completely understand what you were doing and the next time I read those passages I’ll need to take a Dramamine to get through them!