Oh, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

The ocean is very deep. I like watching nautiluslive.org and marveling at the animals and geological features. It has provided new analogies to understand life. 

The ROV (remotely operated vehicle) was exploring the seafloor. There was no light from the surface, but I don't remember its depth. I am also not really good at remembering and translating meters to feet. They encountered a seamount. The scientists were guessing it was about 50 meters high off the seafloor. But when the ROV got to the top, it wasn't any brighter. The water wasn't clearer. It was closer to the boat, but that really didn't matter because there was so much more distance to go.

This is a picture of our spiritual growth. As we grow, sure we may be closer to God, but that doesn't mean that our way will be brighter or our path clearer. We might not understand our trials any better and we may still struggle with the same sin. This realization is not to discredit our growth, but to put it into the proper context. There is always so much further to go. We may be standing on the shoulders of giants, but in comparison with how much more there is to know, I am standing on the same level as the person who began to love Jesus yesterday without any theological background.

But, really, it isn't as if God is the distant boat connected to us only by a thin cable. It is more like God is the ocean: vast, unmeasured, boundless, free. We are surrounded by His love. We grow in His love. We can really get any closer to him because He is always with us. The ROV can't get any closer to the water even as it explores the ocean's mysteries. We can just become more aware of His presence.

So rather than comparing where I stand with how far I've come, or to others in my life, or even how much farther I have to go, I can face each day with a fresh start. "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." "Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me..."