The first verse of the Bible state “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
Our recent Alaskan cruise brought these words to mind daily as we were surrounded by water, and more often than not, rain and fog. Surrounded by water we sailed through the waves of an ocean deep. We hoped to see whales rising from the sea and slapping their tails on the water, but all we saw was water. We anticipated packs of killer whales chasing seals through the waves, but only saw the fins of three the day before our cruise ended. Rather than disappointment we discovered we were on a journey offering us exactly what we hoped for after all, which was rest, relaxation, and a sense of peace that was greatly needed by both of us.
The words of a poem from school came to mind, “Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink!” In the middle of a salt water ocean, water becomes a preoccupation, which brings other things to mind. Like the image of our pre-birth existence. The image of a fetal life rocking in the waters of a mother’s womb is one such thought. (Is that the lure of boats and lakes?) Immersed in the waters of life is our first experience, and although not a vivid memory it is somehow still imprinted in our brains. Floating in the darkness of our mother’s womb might have been our first and most lasting sensation. All of that came to mind as we floated daily, in waters that support so much life, surrounded by the clouds, rain and fog. We learned the coast of Alaska is, in fact, a rain forest with some towns getting three hundred inches of rain a year!
We visited wonderful small towns and as we got close to shore were daily overwhelmed with glacier and snow-covered mountains, immense forests of pine and fir, and a sense of the forest primeval. In many ways Alaska was like a land that time forgot for most of it is still uninhabited and just as it has been for hundreds, if not thousands of years. It has a beauty that God created and much has not yet been changed by what we call progress and civilization. And so much of what we experienced was only because of the ocean deep in which we were cruising. Without intending to consider such things by my pre-trip expectations of whales slapping the ocean or bears chasing salmon in rivers, it was impossible not to recall the beginning of Genesis as the emptiness of a dark and deep chaotic waters was changed first with the gift of light, Next, God introducing the dry land that would support life.
It has a prophetic ring that remembers the climax of Noah’s journey as waters dried up and ark dwellers were able to begin a new life, similar to our own debarkation from the ark of our mother’s safe passage into new life. And we learned of the life cycles of salmon that begin in the rivers of land, spend a lifetime in the salt waters of the ocean, and return to their birth creeks to spawn and die. All that water we were surrounded by was full of life even though much of it was not easy to see … but it was there!
Our cruise, like most of life, was not exactly what we expected but blessed with the stuff of life and the hand of God. And the rocking of the ship in so much water brought a daily sense of peace. When we docked each morning and visited land, we saw villages with totem poles and towns with shops and streets, but most of all we were overwhelmed by the immensity of soaring mountains, endless forests, rivers and glaciers, and the fresh scent of quiet peace. The trip was worth every penny as it reminded me of the peace that passes all understanding and how important it is to daily find time and ways to see through what is not important or unexpected and allow the gifts of God to rock us to sleep and fill us with peace.
Remember Genesis and how each day ended with God’s gaze declaring it was good. When I am asked how our trip was, those words ring in my thoughts as I explain, it was not what we expected, but what we needed … and it was good! And most important for me to remember and share is to take time more often to pay attention to what God has created and allow his goodness to bring a sense of peace into each and every moment of our journey through the sea called life.