Just look below the surface

 It is perhaps a difficult thesis to make that the behavioural norms of tourists in Spain should somehow comply with the rules of rationality. A common pattern that can be observed in that geographical location are those individuals who, heated by the powerful sun, throw themselves into the refreshing salt filled body of liquid. Yes, that part makes sense. However, many simply choose to use the sea as a free cooling devise. Don’t they realise that simply immersing their faces inches deeper below the surface, will reveal an incredible world teeming with life and beauty, freely available to those who are simply bothered to take a look? Many emerge from this body of water none the wiser to the fascinating other world displayed just metres below them.  

Like the yellow pinstripe fish floating in groups, or maybe the tiny crabs peeking from the perfect conch shells, or the funny brown and white fish with the pregnant bellies. And maybe if you pay close attention, you might observe the green octopus who crawls along the ocean floor assisted by his suction pads and general ingenuity. 

 

Somehow, I feel this is a powerful analogy for life. We can be so consumed with the every day, earning a living, paying the bills, sticking our noses into other people’s business displayed on social media platforms, and other such noble pursuits, that we fail to simply stick our head beneath the surface and seek that other world, teeming with life and colour, that could delight and enthral us. 

 

The God I serve, chose to walk upon this earth in human flesh, in the person of Jesus. Jesus was a man who said radical things and did unconventional acts that led to scientifically impossible outcomes. His followers claimed that his brutal crucifixion was not the end of his life and that he appeared to them again in the flesh, before disappearing up into heaven. These same followers were willing to give their lives to spread the message of this man who they claimed defied the confines of gravity and mortality. They claimed that this man Jesus could be known. How can you know someone you cannot physically see? This is a spiritual knowing, which his followers thousands of years after he walked the earth and continents away from the land where he set his feet, claim the privilege of possessing. 

 

This spiritual knowing of which I speak is like sticking your head beneath the surface. It’s kind of like experiencing this love that fills your physical body and causes you to weep, because you know you’ve never experienced anything so pure and unconditional before. It’s kind of like seeing something in a dream and waking up and reading your bible and the verse you read speaks exactly to what you saw in your sleep. It’s kind of like another follower of Jesus who you never met before telling you something deep and personal about your personality that they could never have known. It’s kind of like experiencing the little details of your life being supernaturally orchestrated by the God who created the perfection of the nature you see and who knows you better than anyone ever could. 

 

This post is a plea to you – don’t miss the entire point of this life. Don’t neglect to stick your head under the surface. 

 

Jesus was fully God and fully man. He lived a sinless life, and he died a brutal death upon the cross. He rose again from the dead and he has the power to forgive you of your sins and offer you a free gift of eternal life. This means eternity in his presence and not in hell – a place where yes – those who reject his free offer of forgiveness of sins will sadly go. How do you receive this gift? Put your faith in him. It’s so simple, the Bible says, anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 

 

You can pray this prayer: Jesus, I believe that you are God. Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for my sin. Jesus, I believe that you rose again from the dead. Please forgive me of my sin. Please be Lord of my life. I accept the free gift of salvation. Thank you for saving me. Amen. 

 

PS I don’t have any pictures of my underwater Spanish experience, having no underwater recording equipment. You’ll just have to go diving below the surface yourself!