Diving into Faith (eBook)

Chapter 1

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter
the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief
and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.
He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger;
in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize
a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you,
I am the gate for the sheep.”

John 10:1-7

The Gatekeeper

When I initially signed up for the scuba certification, I knew that there was a classroom portion and a pool course to enhance our knowledge and teach the appropriate skills to be successful within the ocean. I figured that I would show up, and they would tell me everything I needed to know, the class would test, and after passing the test we would be on to the pool—the steak and potatoes of the deal. Looking back at the experience, it was a poor assumption on my part. Scuba Schools International (SSI), the vendor I went through, has an online course prep feature before you arrive. When I signed up, I was currently in a new job, plus taking courses in my master’s degree, and with the family tied in the mix I had little time to study much of anything, plus only four days to go through it all. Since the class portion was three hours, I figured I’d let the pieces fall where they did. Plus, I usually pick-up things quickly anyway; how hard could it be? (Famous last words.)

At 0630 I stepped into my driveway on a beautiful sunny Friday in Key West, inventoried my dive equipment, and left. I picked up Sergeant Boynton from his house at 0700 and made the trip out to the dive center. Once there we met Christian, who was going to be our instructor for the duration of the three-day course. Christian was a proud Texan and had been diving since he was in his teens. He had been instructing all over, including in Malaysia. We eventually went through the three-hour course. Christian was very intimate and thorough with the dive material. He was very good at sharing realistic lessons as they pertained directly to the dive experience and sharing his own stories as well. Low and behold, it was exam time.

Christian stated it would be a fifty-question test, mentioned some preliminary administrative details to write down, and off we went. There were some things on the test that I know for sure we covered in the course and others that were apparently in the online course guide. Not having looked at 97 percent of the course guide, I was feeling much like a teen in high school who didn’t study for the pop quiz. We turned our sheets in and Boynton was the first to be graded. “92 percent,” shouted Christian. Boynton had successfully made it through! Now it was my turn. As I watched him grade my paper, every red X on the sheet made my heart sink. I knew I didn’t know all the answers but I thought I knew most of the questions that I came across? He looked up at me and the look said it all and then he said, “78 percent.” He said, “You need an 80 percent to pass.” Christian went over the ones I got wrong and explained the reasoning behind the answers. He then issued another test and this time I passed! I was so relieved! All the testing was done and I could focus on the practical training. Or so I thought.

Christian dismissed us for lunch and we ate at the bar that was attached to the dive shop. I had the biggest burger they had on the menu and some fries. Why do I mention such a fact, you ask? Well, let us continue further. At the end of lunch, Christian met us and told us we had another test. Boynton and I looked at each other and laughed—Christian was a big joker, so we naturally assumed he was kidding. He said, “No, I’m serious. You have to take two tests in the pool before you can continue with the course.” Then the cheeseburger in my stomach began to laugh. And my excitement turned to anxiety as to what kind of test awaited me in the pool. We changed into swim trunks and met Christian at the pool with all of our gear. Once there he said, “You have two tests. The first is you have to do fourteen laps down and back in under twelve minutes. The second is you have to tread water for ten minutes. Let me know when you guys are ready!”

WHAT! I have always been a decent swimmer but it had been a long, long time since I worked out in the pool. Plus, I’d never swam for time before! This was becoming a problem fast. Either way I was already in the pool and had paid my money, so I really had no choice but to pass these tests. We stretched, took our marks on the south side of the pool, and waited for Christian’s signal: “GO.” Boynton and I shot out the gates. Boynton kept track of the laps we completed. Boynton was like a fish in the water, and I was behind him by a whole body-length. With every touch of the wall, every kick, every splash, every stroke, I just kept pushing myself to make the time. We got to the end and successfully made time. I was out of shape! I felt like I’d just done some sprints and my muscles were all tight from the exertion. Christian gave us some good time to recover, then it was time to tread water for ten minutes. With my body feeling like I just did a solid workout, I was hoping I had some leg strength to get the job done. We went to the ten-foot side of the pool and Christian kicked off the time. I decided to spark some conversation about random topics to take my mind off the situation. Take my mind off being nervous. And it worked! After talking about David Goggin’s new book, treading techniques, and other random things, before we knew it the time was up and the time for assessments had passed. Another amazing relief!

The rest of the day was spent in the water practicing and rehearsing scuba-diving fundamentals. Christian was very attentive with every instruction given from the equipment, to the movements in the pool, to hand-signals. At 1800, after everything was prepped and squared away for the next day, Boynton and I left the dive shop. We would return mid-day the next day for our first scuba-diving adventure, on the reefs of the Florida Keys.

So why go through all the trouble of explaining what occurred during the first day? In retrospect it can come off as a very routine course of action for an experience for scuba diving. But in relation to faith, it opens another lens from which to glean. John 10 is a great for the path we will walk in this approach to faith:

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

Therefore, Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

The Kingdom of Heaven is like us earning the privilege to scuba dive in open water from a broad point of view. How so? Christian was the gatekeeper. He taught us, tested our knowledge, and tested our endurance in the pool, and our application of what was taught. Isn’t a little bit of this starting to sound like how Christians should be living? I mentioned earlier that SCI opened an online course as soon as I registered. That is a lot like reading your Bible. Christians sign up to follow God, and the word of God is the rubric that we are to be diving from daily. This gives us the information on how to live and interact with others daily. Just as the online source supplied the ins and outs of how to dive safely and the dangers to watch out for. The Bible does the same thing, but how many believers actually read? Honestly, just as I neglected the online course material, how many Christians live based on their own knowledge, words passed along (hearsay), or broken context? It is important to take the time to know what God has really promised you, who He is, and how that is practical to what you are getting yourself into by following Christ. And because of our deceptive disregard and lack of investment, when we are tested, the gateway for things like insecurity, depression, addiction, fear, and overconfidence prevail instead the foundational attitudes, behaviors, and mindsets God wants us to have as we swim through life’s currents. Like our instructor Christian did in the course, God provides all the answers through talking with us daily when we open ourselves up to the dialog with Him, but even more so in THE...