I had one of those days you don’t easily forget. I started the day off with snorkeling. It was my first experience, and I’m still giddy hours later [as I type this]. I have never seen anything like it in my life. At one point I laid lifeless, floating on top of the water as a school of bright yellow and black fish swarmed me, nipping at my fingers. At other points I choked on water in the excitement of trying to tell someone about a puffer fish I spotted or the sea cucumber lying on the ocean floor. I am still in awe of how beautifully bright blue the many starfish were. Seriously, I was blown away. I always figured national geographic and the discovery channel just did a really good job at editing so that the colors looked brighter in magazines and on television. Not so! It was incredible to witness how amazing God’s underwater creation can be.
After that time we welcomed in our debriefers and spent several hours in solitude—answering some very serious spiritual and relational questions about this past month and how we will handle the upcoming month. I lay back on my beach chair, enjoying the weather and the sound of the waves crashing against the sandy shore as I turned over each question in my mind. This month has been a pretty astounding month for me spiritually. God has revealed to me some intricacies of his love for me as well as some of the pain his children suffer. Also worth noting is that he has once again proved the necessity of his Son’s death, as I struggle through forgiveness for some past sins. All in all, it was a very healthy reflective time for me.
In the evening we heard a brief message from Scott Pitts (one of the debriefers) and a mime presentation depicting God’s gift to us (his son)—ironically applicable to what I was dealing with today. As if all of that wasn’t enough, Santa came to visit (Scott), complete with his red suit and beard, and bearing gifts (stocking with candy) for one and all. As much as I know Christmas is not about the red suit, the beard, or the gifts, it’s still hard to recognize the day actually happening without them.
Before the night was completely over, I strolled up the beach a little way to have some time alone with the Lord. In groups it’s not uncommon for me to pray aloud, but I find I’m out of habit of verbalizing my prayers when it’s just the two of us. I spent some time talking to God the way I feel I should—like my friend, my comforter, and my counselor, and He spoke to me as well. Isn’t it amazing how personal our God is!?
