The Beauty Under the Sea

       Being under water is not something that I like, in fact it is something that I fear.  Perhaps it is because of my childhood experiences of learning to swim in creeks, and large ponds that for sure were home to snakes.  I do not like snakes.

           Back to Under the Sea……My husband loves to be under the sea…..scuba diving and snorkeling….My daughter loves it as well.  She naturally loved swimming underwater and snorkeling, especially in Hawaii. 

Me not so much….My first adventure with a snorkel was shortly after Will and I married and traveled to Bermuda.  I took the plunge off the sailboat and gave it my best shot.  After about 30 minutes I swam back to the boat and left some of my fear behind.

Several years later, Will and I went on a sailing vacation from Tortola with 2 other couples.  Everyone was diving or snorkeling.  One day I decided to give snorkeling another try.  With Will holding my hand we snorkeled over the Wreck of the Rhone.  The beauty under the sea captivated me and I am thankful that I was willing to set aside the fear with faith to experience this adventure.

 I wish that I could say that I loved snorkeling but I just do not.  I loved the beauty of God’s amazing fish, coral and the world of life that lives there, yet I had rather view it from a glass bottom boat or pictures or National Geographic videos.

Faith casts out Fear….this I know to be true…yet overcoming any fear can only be done by doing and believing you can…No one can do this for you…..

This painting hangs over Will’s dresser in our bedroom.   The colors and the shapes reveal in abstract my experience from that memory.  I used gold leaf in this painting to capture the images of the life under the sea.

What are your fears?  Are they giving you thoughts of I can’t?  Are they keeping you stuck?

                     Challenge your fears:   Take the plunge to free yourself from the doubt, the I will fail, it will not work out.  You just might be surprised by the outcome.  

At a Bible study on God’s plan and purpose for life the speaker gave us a paper tape measure in centimeters.  She instructed  us tear away the part below our age and throw it away, for me that was 70 centimeters.  Then she ask us to  think about what age we hope to be .  So I thought, maybe 90.  Anything after that we were to throw away.  I was left with 20 centimeters. So if the Lord allows me to live 20 more years, then how shall I live each day.

             Looking at your life from what has already passed, and looking at it in the light of perhaps the tomorrows, gives one the perspective of living each day with purpose not fear.

                             Challenging all of us to live for eternal purpose now, not later, for later may not come……..

The white blank canvas speaks fear to this novice artist yet I take the plunge with my paint loaded brush of color, and I began each stroke with hope and a purpose somehow creating art that inspires not only me, but all who look upon it…….

Finding faith today,

Martha

 

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