Devotion - Tuesday, March 6

My wife does not swim in the ocean.  She doesn't want to be in water where she can't see what is around her.  She knows that beneath the waves there are currents and that the sea floor is uneven and unpredictable.  While the largest of the sea creatures cannot swim in the shallows, they are out there.

The sea and the waves and a fear of the depths is a continual theme in scripture.  So much of my mental image of the biblical lands is of dry and arid places; and yet the sea is also a continual theme.

Some of the New Testament references surely arise from the vocation of Jesus' earliest disciples.  They were fishermen.  

There is also much to be gained from images of water and waves and depths.

There are many dangers lurking immediately around us which we may not be able to see.  The water looks so inviting, but it hides and harbors tremendous power and dangers.

I am also mindful of the sea as an image for the spiritual life - what we see is merely the surface of a body with amazing depths.  If we do not enter, we can only skim the thinnest of layers.

Be aware of the dangers which can be hidden.  But do not let this fear prevent you from taking the risk of moving more deeply.