Jaws

Jessica likes to tell me that the ocean isn't safe. She can't stand the idea that there are things in the water that she can't control. Let alone, a 36 foot whale shark!

About 3 weeks ago, Jess and I got to swim with whale sharks just of the coast of Cancun. Jessica's grandparents took us on a family vacation and they jumped at the idea of getting us on a whale shark tour. So, at 6am on Monday morning our family headed to the dock and after about an hour long boat ride the engine stopped and we were in the whale shark waters. After 10 minutes or so of nothing but blue waters, we saw the fin. There is some kind of crazy feeling that crawls through your insides when you see a fin cutting through the water's surface. What we thought we were seeing was the dorsal fin the shark, but what we soon found out was that the fin was only the very tip of the tale.

The boat captain found the direction the shark was heading and then made a large circle and got in front of the fin. Jess and I were first up. With our snorkeling gear on, we straddled the edge of safety in our boat. Seconds later our guide yelled at us to jump in, and then he was gone. We followed him, but it was not easy to take that leap in the water. Every thought going through my mind goes something like, "I must be nuts! Sharks eat people! Even Jaws wasn't 36 feet long! I don't care if they are friendly sharks, they are huge! That tail could cut me in half!"

As soon as we got in the water, the guide was yelling for us to look down. This didn't make sense to me because the fin was a long ways from where we were, but I soon found out that just feet below me was the head of 36 foot long giant of the ocean. That first look down was incredible. Talk about a rush! All i could see was a huge spotted mass of shark. Jess kind of freaked that first time in the water, so we kinda took it easy, but in the process we got a ways off from our guide. That was the scariest part. The only safety and hope in my mind was being next to our guide. I trusted him!

As the day went on, we swam with the whale shark several different times. It turns out that they are pretty slow movers. I'm no Michael Phelps, but I could out swim this guy pretty easily. It was an incredible feeling swimming beside this creation. Unimaginable! You only see things like these on the discovery channel! Not that day. It was very real!

This day has continually brought me back to thoughts about my guide on the tour. It was an unbelievable challenge to ask us to swim with sharks, and the only way I was getting in the water was with him in first. Even then, it wasn't easy to jump in. Finally, when I did get in, I wanted to be as close as possible. And I quickly found that the best way to see the shark was to be right beside my guide. He knew exactly where to be. And I wasn't going to let him out of my sight!

Why should it be any different with Jesus? If I really knew what I was up against in this world, I don't think Jesus would be more than a thought away. It makes me ask myself....Do I really follow him, or am I ok on my own? Truthfully, I do way too much on my own. Way too much. I guess I know that I have a lot to work on!

Jarred