It seems every scuba dive has a story to tell, and this is no different. Our dives the previous day had been canceled due to high winds, a small craft advisory, and rough ocean surface conditions. We optimistically thought this next day would be better. However, the seas were choppy and the swells were about four to five feet, with an occasional six.

 There were only five of us aboard the Easy Diver, our dive boat. In addition to myself, there was my friend Melinda, Elwin, a middle-aged man who had come on the adventure alone, our divemaster and guide named Alex, and Jesus, our boat captain. And yes, Jesus was addressed as in the actual biblical pronunciation of the name. When we signed up with the dive shop a few weeks prior, we thought this was a good sign. Perhaps we should have taken it as a warning.

 As we headed to the outer reef of Key West, we were keenly aware of the swells. The boat was tipping back and forth and up and down as we made our way out to the middle of the ocean, the motion making it near impossible to get our gear on in preparation for our dive. When Alex said to make sure we had three points of contact with the boat at all times he wasn’t kidding. Our buddy Elwin stood up for a moment to pull on his wetsuit, and in less than a moment he found himself on his knees on the other side of the deck.

 As soon as Jesus came to a halt, we all made our way to our tanks. Just sitting there on the bench, my stomach began to churn as I hurried to get myself strapped into my fifty-some pounds of gear.  I kept telling myself, “Don’t get seasick. You’re fine. You’re fine.” But honestly, what were we doing?  I remember wondering if this was a good idea.

 Alex went in first. I was second, then Melinda, and then Elwin. Jesus stayed topside with the boat.  We all started our descent together. I took perhaps a minute longer getting to the bottom than the others because I had a little trouble clearing my ears, but my patience was rewarded when my feet landed on the sandy bottom of the ocean floor. We were about forty feet below the surface, and my ears were clear and pain-free.  We gave each other the ok sign that all was well, and we started our dive. Melinda, my wonderful friend, is a fantastic diver and the best dive buddy anyone could have. She is highly experienced with many, many, dives under her belt. This was only dive number ten for me, so I was careful to stay very close to her.

 Divemaster Alex started swimming toward the reef. Melinda followed Alex, and I followed Melinda, leaving Elwin to follow me. In no more than two kicks of our fins, Elwin slapped my shoulder, pointed to his mask, and took off for the surface. I turned and touched Melinda and pointed at him now at about 20 feet above us. She looked at me and put her arms out to say, “What the heck?” Just as quickly as Elwin took off, our divemaster followed him, leaving Melinda and me, by ourselves, forty feet underwater.

 The rule in diving is if you get separated, you stay put for one minute. What keeps a diver safe is knowing the rules and following them. Melinda looked at me and held up one finger, signaling we would wait one minute. I responded with the ok sign, and a head nod, as I also was aware of the one-minute wait rule. We had no idea what had just happened but knew the best thing to do was to wait our very long one minute to see if they came back down to continue the dive. Perhaps Alex would come back to get us and tell us the dive was called off. We had no idea. However, if we did not see Alex after approximately one minute, we would slowly make our way back to the choppy surface.

Knowing what to do was comforting, although unnerving.  There, at the bottom of the ocean, it was the longest minute ever. Due to the rough seas, the surge underwater was strong, and the visibility was poor at best. Melinda started tapping her tank with a stick she dives with, hoping it would be easier for Alex to locate us. As we looked around, there was nothing to see in any direction, just the brown, sandy, ocean floor and murky gray water as far as we could see in every direction. As we stood there holding our ground, I was reminded of how easily we could be lost. We wouldn’t have to move very far.

 Those minutes at the bottom of the ocean were a perfect reflection of how easy it is to lose our way in our world above the water. There are so many dangers all around us. Sometimes the dangers are easily detectable, but sometimes the dangers are lurking just beyond our visibility.  (Like a shark perhaps?)

Following God’s direction works the same way. When we’re living within God’s direction for our lives, we not only feel less alone when faced with unexpected events that arise, but we are also better equipped to determine the best way to handle those events. How do we know God’s direction? The same way Melinda and I knew what to do when were separated from our divemaster. Melinda and I had studied the guidebook.

 God’s word, the bible, is our life’s guide. It’s all in there. Crack it open. Knowing the rules won’t stop life from happening, but it will teach you how to deal with it as it does. Joshua 1:8 says, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful”. This is a great place to start.

Not only did we follow the rules, but we stood firm in our beliefs that the rules were put in place with our best interest in mind. They were created to help us and to keep us safe, not to hinder us or control us.  Just as we were about ready to make our way back to the surface, we saw Alex coming back, swimming directly toward us. We were exactly where he had left us and easy for him to find. Had we moved, Alex may not have been able to find us. He swam up to us gave us the “everything is ok” sign and we followed him off to explore some reefs in the gray, murky water.

 Elwin was fine by the way. Due to a problem with his mask, Alex had helped Elwin back to the boat while we waited below.

Wishing you joy and peace,

Lorrie

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. – 2nd Timothy 3:16-17