Today, July 8, 2010, your mom and I, along with your Granny and Pawpaw, took you children to Blue Springs in Jackson County, Florida. You guys were 6, 10 and 12-years-old; do you remember this day? The waters were crystal clear and stinging cold!
We got to Blue Springs Recreational Park early, and had to wait almost an hour for the park to open. Even though it was mid-morning, you three were already wilting from the heat, and you were bothered by the gnats that were continually flying around your eyes and ears. But, you forgot all about the gnats and the heat when you slid down that long slide into the icy blue water. The shock of cold took your breath away!
A huge raft was anchored in the middle of the swimming area, and do you remember the diving board? Directly beneath that board, about 15-20 feet to the bottom, was the mouth of a huge underwater cave from which the spring flowed, about 64 million gallons of fresh water per day, we learned.
I watched you plunge from the diving board into the blue, directly above that black hole of a cave, still far beneath you (at least two of you did; my middle child was not in a diving mood on this day!).
I watched from beneath you with my swim goggles on, and I was amazed at the enormity of the cave and the gushing current it generated from the depths of the earth beneath Blue Springs Park.
Proverbs 8 tells us that God's wisdom was there when he created the heavens, and "established the fountains of the deep" (8:28). In fact, long before there were "springs abounding with water" (8:24), God's wisdom had already been brought forth.
Kids, if this time has not already come for you, there will soon be, I believe, a time when your faith in Christ will be seriously challenged by those who do not have faith in God. They will use clever-sounding arguments to try to prove to you what a fool you are for following Jesus. You'll also find these arguments on television, in books and magazines, movies and perhaps in your college/university classroom, depending on where you go to school (if God leads you to go to college one day).
Proverbs 8:4 says, "To you, O men, I [the wisdom of God] call, and my cry is to the children of man." You will be saved from MUCH heartache, much confusion, much time-wasting and evil doing, if you will only listen to and carefully heed God's wisdom. All you have need of, you will find in Him. If there is something or someone you think you need, and God does not provide it for you, then understand that He knows that you are requesting something from Him that you do not need at all.
If you are uncertain about what to do, ask God for His wisdom. "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him" (James 1:5).
I pray as you see and experience God's creation, you will understand better how much He loves you. And I pray that if you ever swim in Blue Springs again, or when you think about the ocean depths, or see the lakes and rivers around you, you will let yourself meditate on the ancient, perfect, true and deep wisdom of your all-wise, all-knowing, ever-present God.
