Go Under
Reflecting on a scuba diving trip in Thailand several years ago, I remember it like it was yesterday. The vivid memories are probably due to the profound experiences and what my eyes were able to capture, which was nothing but spectacular. When you reach that moment, you immediately remember that God is here.
For many reasons, the events of this trip, from the most significant to the scariest, have lessons.
I will cover the most frightening event first. I traveled to Thailand the second week of May, and the monsoon moved in a little early. If you’re a scuba diver in Thailand, one of the most beautiful places to dive, you’re scuba diving regardless of the weather. If possible. And it was possible.
The first lesson, become aware of surroundings. You notice, wow, it’s noon, and a ton of boats are all over. Well, it’s noon. There should be a ton of boats. Maybe our boat is just late. At every stop, there were boats before us, and upon arising from the dive, we were the sole boats left.
All is fine as 4 p.m. approaches. You look at the sky and notice dark clouds moving in. You’ve observed the clouds for the past two days around this time. Then you look at the ocean water. The beautiful glass of green and blue is now dark gray. The calm water has turned to fury. You’re on your last diving trip for the vacation, and your spouse asks you, “Are we jumping in that? We’re in the middle of the ocean, and the waves are insane.” You look at him with a blank stare, confused and, you must admit, a little nervous. The dive master throws out the line, and he says, “As soon as you and your buddy enter the water, grab the line and immediately ‘Go Under.’ It’s calm the lower you descend. I’ll meet you at the bottom.” Again your spouse asks you, “Are we doing this?” You say, “Yes! Let’s Go Under. Thailand is an unbelievable place to dive; it took us 20 hours to travel.”
We jump and go under. The waves are crashing and pounding against and over us. We prepare and immediately descend together.
Once we’re underneath, close to the bottom, the water is calm, and my eyes are in awe of all the beauty that resides below the surface. The current is a little strong even at the bottom, but it’s manageable. Then, I observed a small school of twenty fish swaying along the current, left and right. They were not moving; they were just effortlessly floating. I perceived the lesson in this was that instead of fighting the current, you must use it for your benefit. The clown fish, large clams, and schools of fish all seem to understand this concept.
The lessons are:
Schedule your trip a significant amount of time before the monsoon. Yes, you have to.
Pay attention to the weather and the signs that a storm is coming.
When a storm comes, seek cover.
Of course, we all know its pointless to fight some challenges, but we exhaust ourselves doing it anyway—that’s human nature.
If God says, “Do nothing; I’ll handle it,” find yourself another hobby.
This is one of my favorite verses of all time:
“Call to me, and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
