Faith
Angie reminded me with a picture she posted of a visit I made to Antigua. I visited there when I was in the Navy. I only had one day off on the island after being at sea for over two months. My day turned out to be Sunday and if you have ever been to the Islands, you know that many of them almost shutdown on Sundays. That morning, following breakfast, we had a Sunday Service onboard the Submarine and then I headed out to explore the island. Antigua is pretty small but there is a lot to see and do. As I said though it was Sunday and most of the shops and markets were closed.
I did some sightseeing but then returned to the submarine for lunch. This was actually my second visit to this island though so I pretty much had seen most of it. As afternoon approached, we began asking around if there were any night spots where we might see some entertainment. All of the taxi drivers told us the same thing: “You must go to Shirley Heights on Sunday.” So that is what we decided to do.
About 10 of us packed into a compact car/taxi and headed out. The road was curvy and dangerous and we kept going higher and higher up a mountain. When we got to the top the taxi stopped at a little shack. There were only two cars there and we thought: “We have been suckered.” But with nothing better to do, we decided to stay. We tipped the taxi driver and told him to be back in a few hours. We went inside only to find out that the place was deserted. There was a bar with a bartender and someone else cleaning. We looked back to see our taxi heading back down the mountain.
Oh well I thought, now what do we do? We each got a tropical drink and sat down to enjoy the view. There we were high on a mountain top overlooking the ocean. In back of the shack was a large picnic area that went right up to the edge of a steep cliff. The ocean was deep blue as far as the eye could see. Way in the distance though was a little white sailboat. I knew it was a large sailboat even though it looked tiny. I sat there enjoying my rum punch, the warm breeze and the spectacular view. If nothing else, it was relaxing.
After about an hour, several more locals came in. One of them lit a huge BBQ pit and then tossed on enough food for an army. There was steak, shrimp, lobster and jerk chicken not to mention tons of veggies. A few more minutes passed and some musicians entered and began setting up steel drums. Then just like someone opened the flood gates, people started arriving. By the time it got dark, there were about 300 people there. My sailboat was now just a tiny light in the ocean. The band began to play island music and everyone had a wonderful time.
When I think of that moment and how small that big sailboat looked in the ocean, I can only imagine just how small each of us is in this big world. It took a lot of faith just to venture that far out into the ocean in a sailboat. I got shivers just thinking about it. I know they had charts and navigation equipment but you really have to believe that all that equipment is correct and working properly. You have to have faith.
When I look at pictures of the earth taken from the space shuttle, I wonder just where I was in those picture. I can pick out the USA. I know where South Carolina is. I can barely tell the general area where I live. I know I am there even though I can’t see myself. And even though I can’t see me in the picture, I am not insignificant. To some people I do make a difference. To some I am more than a spec in the ocean of life. Even though you can’t see me, I am still here and even though I can’t see God, I know He is here too.
Have a Blessed Weekend,
Greg
I did some sightseeing but then returned to the submarine for lunch. This was actually my second visit to this island though so I pretty much had seen most of it. As afternoon approached, we began asking around if there were any night spots where we might see some entertainment. All of the taxi drivers told us the same thing: “You must go to Shirley Heights on Sunday.” So that is what we decided to do.
About 10 of us packed into a compact car/taxi and headed out. The road was curvy and dangerous and we kept going higher and higher up a mountain. When we got to the top the taxi stopped at a little shack. There were only two cars there and we thought: “We have been suckered.” But with nothing better to do, we decided to stay. We tipped the taxi driver and told him to be back in a few hours. We went inside only to find out that the place was deserted. There was a bar with a bartender and someone else cleaning. We looked back to see our taxi heading back down the mountain.
Oh well I thought, now what do we do? We each got a tropical drink and sat down to enjoy the view. There we were high on a mountain top overlooking the ocean. In back of the shack was a large picnic area that went right up to the edge of a steep cliff. The ocean was deep blue as far as the eye could see. Way in the distance though was a little white sailboat. I knew it was a large sailboat even though it looked tiny. I sat there enjoying my rum punch, the warm breeze and the spectacular view. If nothing else, it was relaxing.
After about an hour, several more locals came in. One of them lit a huge BBQ pit and then tossed on enough food for an army. There was steak, shrimp, lobster and jerk chicken not to mention tons of veggies. A few more minutes passed and some musicians entered and began setting up steel drums. Then just like someone opened the flood gates, people started arriving. By the time it got dark, there were about 300 people there. My sailboat was now just a tiny light in the ocean. The band began to play island music and everyone had a wonderful time.
When I think of that moment and how small that big sailboat looked in the ocean, I can only imagine just how small each of us is in this big world. It took a lot of faith just to venture that far out into the ocean in a sailboat. I got shivers just thinking about it. I know they had charts and navigation equipment but you really have to believe that all that equipment is correct and working properly. You have to have faith.
When I look at pictures of the earth taken from the space shuttle, I wonder just where I was in those picture. I can pick out the USA. I know where South Carolina is. I can barely tell the general area where I live. I know I am there even though I can’t see myself. And even though I can’t see me in the picture, I am not insignificant. To some people I do make a difference. To some I am more than a spec in the ocean of life. Even though you can’t see me, I am still here and even though I can’t see God, I know He is here too.
Have a Blessed Weekend,
Greg
Comments
Love your 'meditations'.
Our navigation tool is the word of God and Jesus is at the helm. He will see us through to the other side no matter how rough the waves may get.
sandy