The View From Above

This has been such a fun week. I think I have enough pictures to blog three or four times. Before we left home I thought, no blogs. I’ve written everything there is about Curacao. I guess not, however I won’t bore you with everything.

Twenty-eight years ago, this month, Jay asked me if I would like to learn how to dive.

Many years prior to that, my friend Susan asked me to learn how to dive so we could meet somewhere in the world and dive together. I told her, “no way! One of those little fishes or big ones down there would want to touch me and that’s a definite no!”

Oh what new love will do, right!? When Jay asked, I said, “Sure! Let’s do it!” We have enjoyed one diving adventure after another since then. I am so blessed to have found the courage.

This week I’ve returned to snorkeling. During my treatments last year I developed blood clots and that’s a no-no for diving. Can you say, “pulmonary embolism”? So snorkeling it is with my new vest.

Bill Cummins, if you are reading this, you were correct in your sermon the first week of January, “Once you dive, snorkeling is……” shall we say, a different view of the underwater beauty – a view from above.

After church last sunday, we met up with 45 other divers. Yes, 45. It was crazy! However, I was the only snorkeler and was able to try out our new camera. Here are a few pictures taken from the top of the water looking down. Hopefully the videos included download well.

Side bar because what’s a Curacao blog without the word lionfish in it. I’ve been replaced as Jay’s dive buddy. The yellow item Jay is snuggling is his new love, Toni the pony. He has to take her each time he dives alone. She is a little extra air in case he needs some to come up out of the depths. She might give him air to breathe, but Toni does not point out the lionfish for him. However….I can still do it from above.

Lionfish mentioned….check. Moving on.

As my view has changed to viewing the divers descending and a top view of the coral and fish, I couldn’t help think about God’s view of us from above. What is He observing? Oh my! This could be one long blog on just that question, right? What’s your first thoughts about that?

There are so many displays of His glory in the sights, sounds, smells, touches (or not touching, like fish touching me), and tastes in our everyday lives. Things like beautiful blue waves in front of a sunset, or birds singing, flying into the apartment, and sitting on our faucet as we eat our breakfast. A Venzuelan Troupial.

Or a chicken with her babies.. P.S. Eggs are sparse and being rationed here too. You can only purchase one carton of eggs per grocery store visit. The cost is 6.36 FL which equals approximately $3.50.

How about meals that are nourishing and beautifully prepared.

How the sunset falls the same on the western horizon and yet, has a different look each evening.

One thing I know, all these multisensory creations never satisfy completely. We are always looking for the next way our sensories can be satisfied. If we really think about it, they are all fingers pointing to the one who created all things.

Looking from above, I think God is always saying, “Look to me.”. In the bible, Colossians 3:2, it says, “Set your minds on things above, not on things that are on earth.” I think this could mean we are not to make idols of all the created things on earth. Instead, express the priorities of His Kingdom in the midst of our everyday earthly activities. What does that look like in your everyday activities? For me it reminds me “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about those things”–they are from above.

“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”

Bendishon (Blessings), Jay and Kelly