Living Monstrance

After I first learned how to scuba dive, I decided to go diving with my friend, Ron.  Why?  Well, the first reason is that, in order to dive, rule number one is that you do not go alone.  You use the buddy system.   That way, if you have a problem with your air supply, you can share with your buddy.  If you get caught on something, your buddy can help you out.  If one of your guidance instruments stops working, you can share your buddy’s.  Well, I think you get the point.  The second reason I decided to dive with Ron is because he is a dive master.  In the diving world, that means that, among other privileges, he is such an expert at scuba diving that he is licensed to teach and train other people to scuba dive.

So I would meet him at his house, and he would start with the checklist.  “Don’t have a breather?  I know where we can rent a good one cheap.”  Then, we’d head off in his truck with his boat to the dive spot.  “We’ll go to this spot because the depth will be just right for you, and it won’t get too cold.”  We’d launch the boat and he’d head out into the bay to the location, and when we pitched anchor, we’d start to suit up.  “You go first, because I can get set up pretty quickly myself.”  And so he’d help me out with everything.

He’d give me a summary of where we’d be going under water, but it really didn’t make sense to me.  I would just follow him.

Everywhere he went, I would stay within eyeshot, sometimes helping with pointing out some lobsters or flounder, sometimes holding the lobster bag while he wrestled under a rock to pull out a big one.  Me?  I was lucky to pluck out a small lobster with small non-threatening claws.  Hey, you can lose a finger grabbing one of those things!

Well, by the time we got back to his house, we had a good catch and good stories.  While we had a snack and a drink with his wife, he would clean the flounder and package the lobsters.

And then, he would give them to me.

I thought, why?  I know why.  Because he just loves to dive.

I got all the goods, and he did all the real work.  I got to live the adventure of diving under the sea, see a lot of amazing things, get a great workout, and all I did was follow him.  When I got home, I looked like a diving master with fresh lobsters and flounder!  Let me tell you, I really like diving with Ron!  He loves to dive.

When the Lord calls us to follow Him in life, it’s because He loves life and wants us to also.  “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” (Jn 10:10)  Trust Him and go.  You’re really going to like living with Him.