Neither of us had been snorkeling in the ocean before, and we were both super excited. After a little mix up with the booking office, we were finally cleared to get on the boat. It was a huge sailboat and we were the first of probably 50 people to board so naturally we got the best seats. The three hour endeavor included an hour boat ride out, an hour of snorkeling, and an hour ride back. It was a beautiful sunny day and the breeze from the ocean couldn't have felt better as we glided across the water to the snorkeling location.
For whatever reason, when I read "snorkeling" I assumed we would be taken to an island of some sort and would be wading in the ocean with snorkeling masks and goggles, looking at all the beautiful fish that swim in water I can still touch bottom in. You can imagine my surprise, then, when the boat stopped and dropped a huge anchor in the very middle of the ocean. The crew began handing out flippers and goggles and such, a ladder was extended from the center of the boat down into the deep ocean water, and it soon registered with me that this was where we would be snorkeling. The lifeguard made a few announcements about staying on the right side of the boat and not kicking each other in the face with our flippers and then added as an afterthought almost, "You'll be in the water for about an hour. If you're not a strong swimmer we have some life vests." I can swim just fine in a swimming pool or lake or any body of water really, but had absolutely no desire to test my swimming skills in the middle of the 100 ft deep ocean rolling with waves and teaming with fish. I was first in line for a jacket.
Sam went down the ladder ahead of me and then helped me get my flippers on as I entered the water. We swam easily to the right side of the boat where the coral reef was. It was beautiful with all kinds of colorful fish and plants. We swam beside each other and pointed things out underwater, coming up frequently to clear our goggles or blow water from our tubes. We also spent a considerable amount of time cackling at each other as we talked inaudibly through our tubes underwater. Sam was having the time of his life. He loved every minute of it. After about 45 minutes, I pulled him above water and said "Hey. Just so you know, I am really having to talk myself into not panicking." The water was rough! And when we got to the edge of the reef we could see hundreds of feet down below into deep water where any number of fish could be, including sharks! We had to work hard to stay near the boat and even then we inevitably floated away and had to constantly swim back. It was fun, don't get me wrong, but after the hour was up I was definitely ready to get back in the boat.
Once back onboard, we turned in our gear and resumed our positions on the front of the boat. This is when I realized that my jaw was sore.
I had had my teeth clenched tight on my mouth piece the entire hour I was in the water.
There were too many factors that I couldn't control for me to relax while I was snorkeling. The water, the waves, the fish, the goggles, the other people, the boat... I had no control over these things and could not say with certainty what they may or may not do.
How often do we find ourselves in this position in our lives? We are constantly surrounded by things we can't control... factors like our circumstances or other people's choices or our environment. Whether it is a job situation or a dying marriage or a sassy two year old or rebellious teenagers or terrible teachers or bad weather or unexpected news or a life altering daignosis... we cannot control everything that happens to us. And this makes us stressed, and tense, and unable to enjoy the world around us.
Praise that there is a God who is in control. And who is bigger than us and who has been here before us and knows already what is best for us.
Unclench your teeth friends.. relax your tense muscles.
Give your anxieties to the Lord, take a deep breath, and know that He's got you. It's better that way, I promise.
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