June 21, 2014

Keeping My Brain Focused On What's Deep, Not What's Shallow


Today was my second time paddle boarding. After the first time, I couldn't wait to get back out on the water. I took my friend Veronica who was a little nervous at first just like I was, but took to it very easily. Come to find out, she was experienced in snow and water skiing, so she really had nothing to be worried about.

While we were in the harbor about to go onto the river, I saw a few turtles swimming around and then I noticed something in the water that at first I thought was just a plastic bag. But when I looked closer, it looked more like either a jellyfish or even a brain! Well, I knew it couldn't be a jellyfish since we were paddling in fresh water (and I was really hoping it wasn't a brain!). I asked the SUP owner what it was and turned out it was a bryozoa (a colony of tiny animals that form jelly-like masses and filter particles from the water). I continue to be amazed by God's creation!


After we got out of the harbor, there's a little section you have to go through to get onto the river that is rather shallow on one side. The owner reminded me to not get too close to the shallow edge because I could run-aground and take a hard fall. I wasn't too worried about falling because, just like last time, I prayed for God to keep me on the board, and I was really starting to get into a groove with paddling this second time around. But I still appreciated the advice and heeded the warning.

I considered this advice in terms of my spiritual life, and remembered how, when I'm not spending time deep in the Word of God, I tend to focus on shallow things which can really throw my sense of peace off balance and off course. That's why I have to spend time every morning digging deep into the Word before I do anything else, to not just spiritually feed my brain, but to also filter out all the impure particles of messages that daily bombard our minds in our culture's media. I can always tell the difference in my sense of peace if I miss a day of God's Word, and therefore try not to do so.

I have also discovered just how peaceful SUP is. I'm not thinking about anything negative when I'm out on the water. I have a feeling this is going to become more than just an occasional past time for me!