Lesson from Krabi
The family and I went to Krabi on Sunday after church and returned Wednesday. It rained the whole time, but was still awesome! :) I don't have any photos yet cause we forgot to take the camera! But Laura's cousin was in town (that's why we went) and he DID take his camera.
Krabi has to be one of the most visually stunning places I've ever seen. I think it ranks a pretty close second to Victoria Falls in Africa for sheer visual impact. The rock formations in and out of the ocean are wild.
The only hitch was the arrival. We arrived as it was getting dark because i preached in the morning and the next flight out wasn't until like 4:30pm. So we got to the dock where we would catch a longtail boat to the hotel around 6:30 or 7pm. The sun had just set. And (most importantly) the tide was fully out. That meant we had to walk the length of the pier (normally the boats just pull up on the beach). At the end of the pier, there were concrete steps leading down to the water and the boats.
What happens to concrete when it sits under water most of the time? If you said that it gets very slippery - you win the prize! :( So imagine walking down small, slick, steps in the dark with your 4 month old strapped to you and holding onto your 3.5 yr old's hand so that you can climb in a longtail (read canoe with a motor) boat. Kind of scary.
But that's not the end. We get to the island and about 100 yards from shore - the boat stops and the driver says, "We're here." I'm thinking - "No we're not, we've still got 100 yards to shore." Maybe I just can't SEE how close it is because now it is completely dark.
The driver hops out and the water is up to his knees. It's at that point that I realize i should have changed out of my church clothes. :)
Roll up the pants legs, but the shoes and socks in a bag and out of the boat and into the ocean... with our 4 month old and our 3.5 yr old. The good news - it was only knee deep. The bad news - it was a rocky bottom. :(
More good news though - there is a concrete pathway which is only ankle deep. More bad news - it's ankle deep at low tide, so it's always under water (see previous comment about what happens to concrete when submerged for long periods of time). So we have to walk 100 yards on this extremely slick concrete path that we can't see because it's underwater and extremely dark outside. (Did I mention it was drizzling rain?)
Finally we made it and I was exhaused - not only from the arrival but also remember I had preached that morning (that'll knock you out right there). The truth is the hotel was great and the rest of the trip (despite the rain) was wonderful, but that initial bad experience could have easily ruined it. If they'd just given us a heads up beforehand we could have prepared. If they had only told me ahead of time to expect to have to walk through a bit of water to get to the hotel I would have worn shorts and sandals. If they had only told us ahead of time to try to avoid arriving after dark we wouldn't have risked life and limb.
I wonder how often we do that to people who are coming into relationship with Jesus for the first time. We tell them all about forgiveness and grace and God's love, but sometimes we forget to mention service and sacrifice and the fact that life doesn't become perfect the minute you sign on with Jesus. It changes, but it doesn't become perfect (not this side of heaven). How many people get frustrated with Christianity and the church because they weren't given a heads up BEFORE they got involved?
When I council someone who wants to become a Christian - I always try to emphasize the benefits of faith AND the cost of following Jesus. I don't think the two can be separated. When people join our church I always try to tell them everything that's going on - good and bad - so that they come in with eyes wide open. I think it helps. I know it would have helped me in starting off the Krabi experience on the right foot.
Krabi has to be one of the most visually stunning places I've ever seen. I think it ranks a pretty close second to Victoria Falls in Africa for sheer visual impact. The rock formations in and out of the ocean are wild.
The only hitch was the arrival. We arrived as it was getting dark because i preached in the morning and the next flight out wasn't until like 4:30pm. So we got to the dock where we would catch a longtail boat to the hotel around 6:30 or 7pm. The sun had just set. And (most importantly) the tide was fully out. That meant we had to walk the length of the pier (normally the boats just pull up on the beach). At the end of the pier, there were concrete steps leading down to the water and the boats.
What happens to concrete when it sits under water most of the time? If you said that it gets very slippery - you win the prize! :( So imagine walking down small, slick, steps in the dark with your 4 month old strapped to you and holding onto your 3.5 yr old's hand so that you can climb in a longtail (read canoe with a motor) boat. Kind of scary.
But that's not the end. We get to the island and about 100 yards from shore - the boat stops and the driver says, "We're here." I'm thinking - "No we're not, we've still got 100 yards to shore." Maybe I just can't SEE how close it is because now it is completely dark.
The driver hops out and the water is up to his knees. It's at that point that I realize i should have changed out of my church clothes. :)
Roll up the pants legs, but the shoes and socks in a bag and out of the boat and into the ocean... with our 4 month old and our 3.5 yr old. The good news - it was only knee deep. The bad news - it was a rocky bottom. :(
More good news though - there is a concrete pathway which is only ankle deep. More bad news - it's ankle deep at low tide, so it's always under water (see previous comment about what happens to concrete when submerged for long periods of time). So we have to walk 100 yards on this extremely slick concrete path that we can't see because it's underwater and extremely dark outside. (Did I mention it was drizzling rain?)
Finally we made it and I was exhaused - not only from the arrival but also remember I had preached that morning (that'll knock you out right there). The truth is the hotel was great and the rest of the trip (despite the rain) was wonderful, but that initial bad experience could have easily ruined it. If they'd just given us a heads up beforehand we could have prepared. If they had only told me ahead of time to expect to have to walk through a bit of water to get to the hotel I would have worn shorts and sandals. If they had only told us ahead of time to try to avoid arriving after dark we wouldn't have risked life and limb.
I wonder how often we do that to people who are coming into relationship with Jesus for the first time. We tell them all about forgiveness and grace and God's love, but sometimes we forget to mention service and sacrifice and the fact that life doesn't become perfect the minute you sign on with Jesus. It changes, but it doesn't become perfect (not this side of heaven). How many people get frustrated with Christianity and the church because they weren't given a heads up BEFORE they got involved?
When I council someone who wants to become a Christian - I always try to emphasize the benefits of faith AND the cost of following Jesus. I don't think the two can be separated. When people join our church I always try to tell them everything that's going on - good and bad - so that they come in with eyes wide open. I think it helps. I know it would have helped me in starting off the Krabi experience on the right foot.
