So this morning I’m out snorkeling at low-tide. The surf is pounding hard from a tropical storm off the coast of Mexico…but it’s at least 50 yards off in the distance. The beach is peaceful and deserted. Only one set of footprints have scarred the sand since dawn. I’ve got this beautiful place all to myself. I throw my stuff on a rock, slip on my prescription goggles, and slide into the warm tropical water. The reef is amazing: angelfish, clownfish, puffer fish, surgeonfish…underwater caves and colorful coral formations. Wow…I’m mesmerized. The minutes slip by. I drift in the current. I lose track of time. Suddenly, off in the distance, I see through my goggles what appears to be a plastic bag drifting toward the ocean floor. I’m appalled. Who would trash this pristine marine mecca? I get closer. The bag has car keys in it. Oh no…it’s my rental car keys! I quickly snatch the bag and ascend to the surface. I look around for the big black rock on which I’d put my stuff. Uh…oh, the tide has made a quick comeback. The rock has almost disappeared beneath the waves. Panic hits. I frantically swim for the rock, fighting against the waves and currents. Thank God, I see my green shirt. My eyeglasses were tucked inside the shirt. I pick up the sea-soaked shirt. Stupid shirt! My glasses are gone. Out to sea. This is going to be a really lousy vacation! I can’t see anything without my prescription lenses. I start praying hard. For the next half hour I scour every inch of the ocean floor within 30 feet of the rock. I search the sand, the rocks, the coral, the seaweed, the underwater caverns. I go over every detail of the constantly changing marine terrain. Distracting fish are all around me. Yellows, blues, reds. A small octopus drifts by. I’m singularly focused. I’m praying hard under the waves. Then…amazingly, I spot a couple of familiar looking sticks protruding out from between some coral. It’s the temples of my glasses. Thank you Jesus! I can see.
There’s got to be a sermon illustration in this. I’ll figure that out later. For now…I’m just thankful! During tomorrow’s low tide, I’m not leaving my stuff anywhere near the water