Endless Ocean

 

(Found this fantastic image at http://www.worth1000.com/contests/24770/wooden-boat )

."If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea."
- Antoine de Saint Exupéry 

I love this quote...I love the thought of  an insatiable desire to know more of the immenseness of God.  I think we can get so busy on the shoreline...that we get lost in the making of our boat.  We spend so much time on shore, making sure that everything is pristine and perfect...That the vessel is sea worthy, that our vessel looks good and is shiny and perfect.   We polish and we add and we look out to sea...but the time isn't right yet...there is still more work to be done on our vessel before we can launch into the vastness of God...so we limit ourselves to the shoreline...and we limit ourselves to playing in the surf...while the nature of God licks at our Spirits...beckons us to launch into Him...yearns for our presence in the heart of His character.  We look longingly out to sea...but...we...are....simply...not...ready...yet.  We are not ready to loose ourselves in Him. 
The fact of the matter is, He loved us and chose us, while we were still sinners.  If we are waiting to be "perfect" and acceptable before we launch into His greatness- we will never be able to launch, because we are, and ever will be, sinners.  He accepts us as we are, and THEN he starts transforming our hearts.  We have to launch into His presence, and give Him access into our hearts...and then He starts a wonderful metamorphosis within our hearts.
Perhaps the thought of all that ocean...all that God is a bit daunting and frightening....to quote CS Lewis, from "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe":
“Is he a man?” asked Lucy.
“Aslan a man!” said Mr Beaver sternly. Certainly not. I tell you he is King of the wood and the son of the great emperor-beyond- the-sea. Don’t you know who is the King of the Beasts? Aslan is a lion – the Lion, the great lion.”
“ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“That you will, dearie, and no mistake” said Mrs Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”
“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?” said Mr Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

He is the King of kings, He is Yawheh...we would be foolish to come before Him without our knees knocking...but he IS GOOD.  His very nature and character is GOOOOOOD.  Think about the tiny wooden boat and, decidedly, launching into the vastness of God.  A bit daunting, yes?  Imagine it this way then: With each stroke of the oar, you pay attention to the nature and the character and the blessings that He bestows on you.  You pay attention, with each stroke of the oar, to the sun that plays on the waves...and you give thanks to God.
You pay attention to the colors playing within the water, and you give thanks to God.
You look at the oar and how it slices through the adversity...and you give thanks to God.
You look at the boat, how well it is made, .....and you give thanks to God.
You look at the bounty of life contained around you...and you give thanks to God.
You see rain clouds on the horizon...and you give thanks to God.

AS you count your blessings...one by one...you are launched further out into the expanse of The King....and He is GOOOOOOD.  He isn't safe...the rain clouds are approaching and the waves are picking up.  The sun is sneeking slowly away behind those angry skies.....a storm is coming.

But...remember ....His nature.  Remember....His goodness.  Look at the storm and remember who you KNOW God to be...You are now amongst the vastness of His presence.  You have left the shores of complacency and you find yourself lost in the vastness of his endless ocean.

The storm can't hurt you if you jump in.  Remember the blessings, remember His goodness.  Remember that He loved you FIRST.  Jump into His presence...do not fix your eyes on the storm...trust in who you KNOW Him to be.  Let Him surround you, permeate you, get lost in His presence....that is where the safety is...that is where you breathe in His goodness and that is where you find the satisfaction of learning and relying on the immenseness of God.

Ok, back to our little picture...I love that in the picture there is a hat, because we are no longer on the boat- we have left behind that which the world says will protect us...the boat and the hat...and dove into ....beyond all reason...beyond all human understanding...we have dove into God Himself.

And we have left behind a fishing pole....because...really...isn't it our job- to coerce this yearning, for the immenseness of His endless ocean, in others?  Really...isn't it our job to help others get into the water and off the shoreline?  Really...isn't it our job to fish for men and introduce them to the joy of loosing ourselves in His immenseness?
I think so....May we all build sturdy ships through counting our blessings and  discovering His goodness through each heavenly kiss ,we call a blessing.
May our spirits be strengthened through discovering His nature through His word.
May we realize and respond to the longing for MORE of Him that is planted in our souls.
May we launch out to discover the vastness and the uncharted areas of God ' s heart.
And may we swim amongst His spirit, in the arms of Christ, manifesting His presence...and creating an insatiable thirst in others.