Yesterday we returned from our 5 day Royal Caribbean cruise to Bermuda,
and we're still swaying. The ship (Liberty of the Seas) was beautiful...not as large as the others we've been on, but that turned out to be a plus, because we didn't have to walk quite as far and we didn't get lost like on the other ones. I think one disadvantage is that the ship rocks more, and so I was feeling pretty sick a couple of days when the water was choppy. One day was particularly awful.
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| peaceful and gorgeous |
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| part of air show |
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| some other show |
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| a cool ceiling |
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| Bermuda's national flower |
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| had a blast touring on segways |
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| a very expensive item in a store in Bermuda |
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| a 3D wall sculpture |
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| an anchor, why not? |
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| beautiful blue waters on our way to snorkel |
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| the Morgan, i don't know why it's here |
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| the casino we had to walk through |
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| the main dining room (3 levels) |
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| the chapel |
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| a beautiful chocolate surprise in our cabin |
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| another pretty dessert |
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| our first dinner |
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| they celebrated our anniversary |
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| cool floor design |
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| and another cool floor design |
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| contemplating large amounts of water |
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| a happy tug boat |
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| air show |
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| um.. looking down? |
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| a kiss in the Moongate |
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| haha, me and ? |
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| wall mural |
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| my favorite dessert |
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| view of one of the pools |
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| the Royal Promenade, Deck 5 |
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| Darryl and our waiter, Rene from the Philippines |
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| choppy water on the way back (this wasn't the worst) |
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| shrek's wife? |
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| going snorkeling |
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| on snorkel boat |
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| the closed curtain |
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| view from dinner |
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| so pretty |
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| the Tear Drop Memorial, Bayonne, NJ |
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| Getting ready to set sail |
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| a Tiled wall |
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| towel guy |
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| another towel critter |
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| view as we were docked in Bermuda |
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| our ship, view from our snorkel boat |
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| view from one of the decks |
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| our other waiter, Volodymyr from the Ukraine |
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| at the ice show |
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| our formal dinner |
So, I had plenty of time to look out at the vast amount of water, and I've contemplated Noah quite a bit. To look out and see nothing but water all around can be quite overwhelming. Noah wasn't all that familiar with large quantities of water...until the day it started to rain for 40 days and 40 nights. Have you ever really thought about how that would feel? I imagine there were a lot of rough waters for him. I imagine there were some cases of sea sickness. I can't imagine how intense the fear could have been for him and his family. They didn't know how long the frightful ordeal would last. They floated for over 100 days. But Noah trusted God. No matter how fearful the worldwide flood was, Noah's healthy fear and reverence for God was much stronger.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
I also had the chance to think about the disciples in the boat during the storm. I was reminded of the song
Oceans; such a great song. The earthly elements can be so strong and powerful. But these things are nothing in the face of God's mighty power. He controls the oceans. He controls the winds and waves. He tells them what to do. Jesus told the storm to be still, and He told the disciples they had little faith. I want to be a person of strong faith. I want to be the kind of person that will step out into deeper waters, if that is where Jesus is calling me, even if it is the great unknown. Just like Peter did. I want to be the kind of person that obeys without hesitation. Just like Noah did.
God, I am here. Circumstances, life's challenges, obstacles and fears - they all come against me. But I will call upon Your name. My soul will rest in Your embrace, for I am Yours, and You are mine.
