What is it about the ocean?
During flounder-fishing Saturdays, my dad and I trolled our tiny fishing boat out past the warning buoys towards the Atlantic in search of the “perfect spot”. It was during this time that father and son alike enjoyed the calm of morning stillness, the waves ferrying the countless specks of light from the bay area as they shone from the waves we created. Those Saturdays meant a lot to me, more so with the time allotted for me to have quiet times alone with my father than for the mere excitement of possibly catching fish.
Until recently, I have never realized how much value flounder-Saturdays has come to mean in my life. I would gladly endure the grueling ride out into the ocean time and again if it means spending one brief moment with my father.
On dry land, the world is ever-present. But out in the ocean, under the star-lit morning sky, you can’t help but wonder in awe at the magnificence of it all.
When you’re out there standing on the boat with arms extended to your sides, holding your face up to feel the ocean breeze upon your skin, you can feel God’s presence envelope you. There is that feeling of insignificance of living in an immeasurable universe, but out in the ocean, you feel alive, you feel free and if you stand there long enough, you can feel God’s hand on you.
Suddenly you’re overcome with a sense of reassurance, that no matter your troubles --- great or small --- you can always come to Him with all your troubles.
To a boy, complaining about seasickness while gliding over rough waters for the purpose of catching fish may mean very little and forgotten the next day. To a man, however, catching the fish is merely the perk. The real value comes from having endured seasickness and having endured the rough waters. These are values that last a lifetime, those that leave their mark on you that burn each time those bittersweet memories emerge.
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19
1 comment:
Dear Noel.. I was so gald to hear from you and how I do miss you!
This post is almost like the good ones that you put on Pinoy Memories.
I have always been afraid of the water but I guess if you are with your dad it would not be so scary.
Especially if this was the same dad that told you that nobody had played the family trumpet as well as you did Noel and the dad that set for you, his son the golden rule, the rule that he, himself lived by and the rule that made you the great man of God that you are today.
Blessings to you my forever friend and it was so good to hear from you again!....from Terry
Is the handsome guy in this picture you?
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