All In

I had only one chance to tell them something. This was my shot. 

"Imagine this. It's a perfectly beautiful day off the coast of Hawaii." The youth group sitting on the floor in front of me quieted down a little bit as I got their attention. "What I am about to tell you is a true story. A story of the time my family went to Hawaii for Christmas, and we did what everybody who goes to Hawaii has to do. Naturally, we went snorkeling." 

I flashed a picture on the PowerPoint of Molokini island, supposedly one of the top ten places in the world to snorkel.

And with my best story-telling voice and hand gestures, I told them exactly what happened. 

On the way out to the island, which is actually the rim of an inactive underwater volcano, our guides suddenly turned the boat in the opposite direction. "Whoa, did you see that?!" They were saying to one another. "Do you guys wanna go see some whales?" they asked us. 

Watching for the sprays of whales when they come up to the surface to breathe, we followed in the direction of the great humpbacks. In Hawaii, there is a law that says you cannot bring your boat within 50 meters of a whale. So that's what we did. We got as close as we could get to where the whales had surfaced, we cut the motor, and we waited. When the next spray occurred, we did the same thing. Turn in that direction, get 50 meters away, cut the engine, and wait.  

Just when I was getting bored with this whole whale chasing (or rather waiting) thing, something amazing happened. 

You see, there may be a law that prevents boats from coming close to whales, but there is no law keeping the whales from coming close to your boat...at least not one that the whales know about.

Our guides, who must have studied whale patterns of behavior and movement or something like that, were able to position our boat directly within their line of travel. 

And the next time they surfaced, I think I could have reached out and touched them. Actually, they probably weren't that close, but I probably could have reasonably jumped out of the boat and landed on one's back and ridden it all the way to Molokini island. 

"Just in case you didn't know, whales are huge!" I told the youth group and they laughed. "We kept chasing whales for two hours, and we saw a momma and her baby whale, two male whales fighting, and a full breech, which is when a whale jumps completely out of the water! I couldn't believe my eyes!" 

After the whale watching extravaganza, we were finally ready to go snorkeling. Now in my mind, when I think about snorkeling, I picture myself in a calm bay of turquoise water that is three feet deep so I can just float on my belly and peacefully watch all the fish and coral beneath me. Pointing at the picture of Molokini island on the slideshow behind me, I said, "See that biggest wave right there? That's where the boat pulled up and our guides told us to jump in." 

I was slightly terrified. There was a huge cliff jolting out of the water and giant waves crashing into it, and our guides were telling us to buckle up our life vests and go for it. This was not what I had in mind. 

I stuck my toe in the water, just to test it out. It was like ice water. That was the second strike, and I really thought I wasn't going to do this. 

But my father, being the brave and adventurous one, strapped his goggles on his head, stuck the snorkel in his mouth, and jumped off the boat into the deep waters. 

I waited for his reaction. I knew, based on his response, whether I would go snorkeling that day or not. 

And what I heard was the sound of pure excitement coming through a snorkel tube.

That was all it took for me to make up my mind. I wasn't going to miss this. I geared up as fast a I could and jumped all the way in. What I saw took my breath away. Just like there was a cliff above the water, there was also a cliff below the water, and it was covered in bright coral. There were fish everywhere! Swimming right in front of my goggles and all around - all shapes and sizes and colors and types. And if you turned around, you were looking off into the ocean depths, and you could hear the whales echoing in the distance if you listened closely. It was possibly the most amazing thing I have ever done. 

"What if I hadn't jumped all in? I would have missed the adventure of a lifetime!" I told the youth at the end of my story. "Or what if I had just been content to stick my toes in the water and that was it? What if I had even put the mask on my face and leaned over the boat to stick my face in the water? I would have seen, but it wouldn't have been the same. There is nothing like jumping all in."

"I get one chance to tell you something." I told them. "One chance to stand before you and share with you something that I think is the most important thing in the whole world. And this is it: the best decision you will ever make is to jump all the way in. But I am not talking about snorkeling."

"You see, the whole snorkeling thing is an analogy. When I talk about jumping all in, I am talking about your walk with Christ and your relationship with him." 

"If you want, you can just stick your toes in the water. You know, you can say you're a Christian and do a few Christiany things, but if you don't like it, you can always back out. Or you can put the mask on and stick your face in the water. You can go to church and read your Bible and pray every now and then. Go on a mission trip maybe. But on other days of the week, you do what you want. You can be a Christian when you want to while still hanging onto all the other things you like to do that are not in line with what God wants. Or you can go all in. You can jump all the way in and give everything you've got to Christ. And guys, it is only when you go all in that you truly discover the true life that is found in Christ. The true adventure. Full life. A personal relationship with Jesus."

That's what the underwater coral represents. A personal relationship with Jesus. That's what you find when you jump all in, and it will take your breath away because it is the most beautiful, magical, mysterious, and wonderful thing ever in the whole wide world. It makes my Hawaii story look pale and pointless in comparison. 

"Perhaps the most important thing I can tell you is this." I paused. "Jesus wants a personal relationship with you. Can we just ponder that a moment? I mean, lean in close and hear this," and I leaned in to their level and said, "The God who created the world and sustains it, who holds the universe in the palm of his hand...the great, huge, vast, powerful, amazing, infinite God wants to know you personally. To be your best friend. Does that not blow your mind? Take your breath away? Such a relationship can only be found when you jump all the way in."

So I tell you the same thing that I told them. I don't know where you are. Maybe your are waiting on the dock, thinking about getting on the boat, considering this whole Christianity thing and wondering if you should get on board. Maybe you are already on the boat and just sticking your toes in the water, testing out the faith to see if you like it or not. Or maybe you have put on the gear, but you are just putting your face in the water without fully committing. Or maybe you are on the edge of the boat, toes wrapped around the edge, swinging your arms back and getting ready to take the plunge. I don't care where you are, my message to you is the same. 

Don't miss it. Jump all the way in. All in. Don't settle for less, and keep moving forward until you are free falling through the air and swimming in the water. There you will find a treasure greater than a coral reef, greater than anything this world could ever offer, greater than your imagination. A great, great God who wants to love you intimately and know you personally. A personal relationship with him that will satisfy your soul, blow your mind, and lead you on the adventure of a lifetime.