When two countries join to make a panoramic picture in your mind. Then the foreign country isn’t so foreign anymore. The granite of the fjords here in Norway and the granite outcrops near the Hillside dams and the Matopas in what was Rhodesia are so bold in their liknesses that one believes one knows them.
Here, my mind goes to other countries, the Red Sea in Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea around Rhodes. Our Earth.
Both these times were with our teenage boys. We were travelling in Israel using busses and sometimes a hire car. We had made the effort to get to the Jordanian boarder to see Petra. The teenagers were getting restless, and our family had to make a decision. The border crossing was proving to be expensive, and the boys wanted to snorkel. They won the day.
We headed back to Eliat and then crossed into Egypt, where we joined a group snorkelling and scuba diving. It was the 4 of us, the family who owned the boat and 2 scuba divers. Why we got such a lovely opportunity I don’t know. I guess they weren’t busy.
The world under that sea sparkled in the rays of a hot sun with reds,purples,black,yellow,green, pink ! Our personal guide had made it clear that we keep our hands by our sides and use our flippers to move. We did until I saw something as soft as velvet. My instinct was to reach out my hand. I had it smacked/ tapped!
There it was, our world . Nothing in any aquarium has come up to its standard. Nothing ever will.
It was our first.
The Red Sea. Ours the best.
The second is my personal experience of one we all had.
It will leave the question.
Why did God do that?
When he doesn’t do anything for your really big problems, Sandy.
Well, He does look after my big problems,He solves little daily problems within those big ones.
Here is the story.
I was reading about Jesus not being recognised as a teacher. He was asked to pay tax, so he told one of His disciples to go catch a fish, open its mouth and take a coin out, and pay it. It happened.
I was praying and then smiled and said : ” Why can’t that happen today?”
Well, the teenagers were snorkelling, and we were swimming in a secluded rocky beach area on Rhodes. It was getting late and we needed the keys for the small hire car. Who had them last? They can’t have gone far? Retrace your steps. We spent quite a while looking when a young man came up wearing a T- shirt which had a Jesus’ face on it he said: “I think you were looking for these. I found them amongst the stones while snorkelling. “
My family was pleased but for me it had a greater meaning. God takes an interest in building personal relationships.
Here are two quotes
Prayer is your personal key. The lock is on your side.
Boyd K. Packer 1924- 2015 American Religious leader of the Church of Latter Day Saints.
A very little key will open a very heavy door.
Charles Dickens