Surviving the waves and currents

Many years ago, in what seems like another lifetime, I lived fairly close to the Pacific Ocean for about five years. In order to more fully enjoy the beauty of the ocean, I became a certified scuba diver. Along with a written test, a big part of the training class was learning basic scuba skills in a swimming pool - prior to traveling to the ocean for open water certification.

We were required to learn how to...

• Clear our masks of water, while sitting at the bottom of the pool. 
• Swim 200-yards wearing a snorkel and fins (not too difficult). 
• Swim 50-yards underwater without coming up for a breath of air (a bit more difficult, took me two tries). 
• Lastly was the requirement to tread water for a full 10-minutes with no support (no hanging onto anything or anyone). 

This last test was easy at first, but as time went on it became very tiring and increasingly difficult to stay afloat. All this was accomplished in the relative safety of a quiet swimming pool.

Now imagine yourself in the ocean with underwater currents, and waves that can push and pull you in many directions. Not to mention dangerous storms; decompression sickness (the bends); possible embolism; being tangled, injured or trapped in underwater vegetation or rock formations; running out of oxygen; or having encounters with dangerous sea creatures. It can be quite easy to injure, or even kill yourself while scuba diving - thus the need for training, and the ever present caution to never dive alone - to always have a dive partner. It is the job of each person to keep an eye on their partner, and be there to help in the event something happens.

Life is very similar to scuba diving - constantly being pushed and pulled in different directions, with a multitude of dangers all around. Our life training manual is contained in the scriptures, and we will all have frequent tests.

Right now I have run out of oxygen, and am desperately trying to keep my head above the surface by unendingly treading water. There are many times when I just get so tired of fighting the waves and currents and want to give up - to silently sink below the darkened surface of the water.

But I have a partner, someone who won’t ever give up on trying to help me. He has a constant eye on me, and allows me to hold onto Him when I am ready to surrender to the darkness. He is able to buoy me up and give me moments of peace and rest. Who better to help me eventually make it to the safety of the shore, than He who once walked on water? My problem is that I frequently tend to rely on the arm of flesh, floundering desperately under my own power to stay afloat - and often fail to reach out to Him who is always ready to save.

In a previous post I mentioned girding on armor and having a ready battle plan for fighting the mists of depression’s darkness that plague my everyday life. Trust me, when in the depths of the ocean, wearing heavy armor isn't such a good idea. Unless said armor is the buoyant whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-14).

Now it is a matter of finding His superior armor amongst all the clutter and debries in my brain and life. To put it to good use, and set aside the arm of flesh (reliance on myself, who am truly imperfect) - and always remember to reach out to Him who is perfect, He who saves.