This summer my family went on a 7 day Mexican Cruise. It was definitely an unforgettable experience. The first place we docked was Cabo San Lucas. I had never been there before and was so excited to experience this beautiful city. My husband and I had planned on taking our kids snorkeling for the first time.
As we got off the ship, we negotiated a deal for the water taxi to take us over to a little beach by Los Arcos so we could go snorkeling. The taxi driver drove us around Los Arcos and I noticed that the waves were so choppy I had to wonder if the boat would capsize. Surely, I thought they know what they are doing. I set aside my fears and was at awe at this place of magnificent beauty. The high rock towers with the beautiful water crashing through their tunnels was simply stunning. After our little tour, the water taxi driver dropped us off at the beach with our snorkeling gear and told us he would be back. The beach was literally covered with people and we knew that if we all went snorkeling and left our bags on the beach that we would probably never see our stuff again. I told my husband to take the kids and I would watch the bags first. It wasn’t more than a couple of minutes that I saw my daughter swimming back but it seem to take her forever to get out of the water. When she finally got over to me she said, “Mom, I almost drowned. I couldn’t get back to shore.” I blew it off thinking it can’t be that bad. Well, my husband came back later and it was my turn to go. I put on my gear and started out in the water but I couldn’t seem to get my mask on right and it kept filling up with water. I tried to tread water and fix it but the water was really rough. I decided to go back to shore and fix it so I started swimming. As I got close to the beach I realized that I wasn’t really going anywhere. The riptide had gotten so strong that I couldn’t swim in. I tried not to panic and just put my head down and swim with all my might. I came up gasping for air only to be met with a high wave in my face and pushed even farther out to sea. I started to get scared and realized that the harder I swam, the more tired I got and I wasn’t getting any closer. The thought ran through my mind that I wasn’t going to make it. I felt like I couldn’t breathe and didn’t have much strength left. I finally took off my mask and ripped off my fins because I felt they were just more resistance for the wave to push me back out. I knew I only had a couple of more tries left in me so I relaxed and rode the wave and waited for a stronger wave to push me forward. When I sensed that this wave was going to take me closer to shore. I swam with all my might. It got me close enough that I could finally touch with my feet. I dug my feet in and swam with my hands as the riptide tried to sweep me back. I had the thought….”I’m not going back. I’m not going back.” As I propelled myself forward I was finally crawling on my hands and knees as the strong water tried to suck me back into the ocean. I fought against the current and told myself…”I’m not going back.” When I finally got on the shore, I just laid down with utter exhaustion. I was grateful and terrified at the same time.
Since that experience I have thought about it often, how disastrous this day could have been. I was thinking about my spiritual life. About how sometimes it seems like I will try to move forward in my walk with God only to be met with the debilitating lies of the enemy that threatens to pull me back. I need the same determination that says, “I’m not going back…I’m not going back.” I’m moving forward…I will not believe the doubts, I will not do things like I’ve always done in the past that get me nowhere. Philippians 3:13-14 says, “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” May I be determined to move forward in my walk with the Lord with the mindset that says, “I’m not going back!!”
