how much fun is it to leave home and live outside of your usual character, right? my evidence comes from this quote from my extremely conservative, sunday school teaching, silver haired father: "why in sam hail would they not play the ymca right now? i mean i just think that sounds like the exact opposite of a great idea." it was a brilliant idea, much to my dismay, my dad had been bouncing around our snorkeling boat with a couple of nice young texans named quinn and scott, that happened to be very enebriated at this point in the tour (4:30pm). it's just not normal what these people do here. i can easily consume 10 ice cream cones a day, my dad doesn't.
that being said, i've daily snorkeled and woken up with the sun. i know right? it's probably sinful on vacation to not sleep in, but if you've seen a caribbean sunrise you know the view redeems itself. the infinite expanse of placid, royal blue and turquoise water combined with phil wickham's "because of your love" is teeming with the essence of our Creator. as i've discovered this aquatic fantasyland, and my immense enjoyment and delight in it, filled with fish of every rainbow color and even a shark, i'm utterly amazed. as my bro-in-law dave and i flippered around, i simply marveled in the beauty of this "whole new world". more deeply in my life i found a too unfamiliar "new world", and brotha/sista is it hard. my man hunter challenged me to memorize 1 john3:16 with him, essentially nothing is greater than laying down your life for fellow people. exhibit b: as i've read this dale carnegie book on how to make friends, i've ran across countless quotes saying "people are genuinely interested in us, when we are interested in them"-billy shakespeare.
as i was caught on to some subtle hints the Lord had been dropping, i started talking to the workers here at the cozumeleno and i met edgar at breakfast yesterday. a strong believer in Christ and i got to encourage him multiple times and i've experienced great joy from it.
if you're my friend and reading this, i'm sorry. i haven't loved you, depending on the person, even close to as well as i should have and i hope you'll forgive me. i love you even if i don't show it well. it'll make Jesus look so sweet as i love people more and i can tell people it was him.
it's almost as if i can say "i see you God. i know what you're doing with me." and it's hard, boy is it hard, but i absolutely love it.
"For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." 2 corinthians 4:6-7
