I struggled with this one yesterday morning, and we started our day early and ended it late, with no ideas forming in my head for a post. Today, X seems to stand for all of those things at once.
Christ on the cross is the X symbol at Xmas time, and I like thinking of it that way whenever I come across the letter. Jesus died for our sins. He rose from the dead, and the cross and the tomb are empty. We are saved, and it is finished. All our sins have been crossed out by that one X.
Jesus as both Lord and Man, has baffled us for more than two centuries now. How do we wrap our tiny brains around the Lord of the Universe giving everything up to be just like us, and then die for our sins. Jesus, as Lord and Messiah, and also Immanuel, God With Us, definitely fits into the "unknown" part of X. We just don't get it fully, because we can't. As it says in 1 Corinthians 13:12,
"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."
Extraordinary Love . . . what else describes the Lord's love for each of us. Extra - ordinary.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:16
Now, for Y. I'm going with yonder, and the y symbol in sign language, which when turned and shaken, looks a lot like "Hang Loose."
Yonder: –adjective
1. being in that place or over there; being that or those over there: That road yonder is the one to take.
2. being the more distant or farther: yonder side.
I've been Yonder lately . . . distant lately from where I usually live, and it's been great. However, there is always a "yonder" place that beckons, isn't there? Another horizon that we gaze towards, whether it is across the hills and mountains on land, or yonder across the coral beds beneath the sea. We are pulled forward, yonder, into new places and looking toward new horizons.
Y in sign language:
Shaka, the Hawaiian sign for "Hang Loose"
The "shaka" sign is a common greeting gesture. It is often associated with Hawaii. It consists of extending the thumb and smallest finger while keeping the three middle fingers curled, and raising the hand as in salutation with the back of the hand facing the person that is being greeted; sometimes the hand is rotated back and forth to emphasize the sign.
Hawaiian locals use the shaka for various meanings, like "all right", "cool", and "smooth".
I so wish I had taken pictures of some of the people who have given us the shaka sign . . . you would be surprised by who and where this sign is used the most . . .not just at tourist central stops. Our favorite one, the one we wished we had gotten a picture of, was an older policeman on Big Island. His smile was so bright, and we totally didn't expect a policeman to be giving us the "shaka" sign.
So, for Y, I encourage you to visit someplace yonder, and just hang loose.
365 Days of Blessings, Days 324 and 325
1. The Road to Hana. Beautiful sights, and many turns.
2. The Twin Waterfalls.
3. The many waterfalls we saw along the road to Hana.
4. Swimming under waterfalls in Hawaii.
5. Watching some amazing surfers surf in the "big" waves.
6. Seeing a wild mongoose, not native to Hawaii.
7. Seeing Rainbow bark trees . . . where did I put that guide with the real name?
8. Apple Bananas, tasty treats on a road trip.
9. The Oheo pools.
10. The backroad back from Hana . . . a fun adventure on dirt roads, and bumpy pavement.
11. Snorkeling trip with the Pacific Whale Foundation.
12. Snorkeling at Molikini.
13. Seeing so many tropical fish just a few inches away . . . wow!
14. A fun slide off the side of the ship. My youngest went again, and again, and again, and . . .
15. My husband's sharp eyes caught the sight of three whales in the distance. The captain of the ship slowed, and turned us so we could all see them spout water, and then wave their flukes up as they prepared to dive deep. They were a long, long ways away, but it was still cool.
16. Snorkeling off the coast of Maui, by Lahaina, our second snorkel stop. The coral reefs were incredible, and so were the fish.
17. Snorkeling with green sea turtles. They are so beautiful, and fun to watch.
18. I had a moment of fear today in the ocean. I felt vulnerable, and had to grab onto my oldest daughter's floatie. After a moment, I realized that this incredible opportunity to see the world under the sea would only last so long, and I didn't want to waste it. After that I had a hard time not wanting to visit "yonder" horizon of coral reef after coral reef. It was hard being told it was time to get back on the ship.
19. My daughters actually learned more about coral reefs than they knew before . . . about how and why the coral has different colors.
20. We could have snorkeled yesterday, except for a big "oops" on my part with the location of our pick up point. I was very upset at myself for that, even though the Pacific Whale Foundation graciously allowed us to change our trip date for today. Turns out, that God's providence must have been at work. Yesterday they had heavy winds, and had low visibility. Today, it was beautiful, except off the coast of Lanai - and so we snorkeled off the coast of Maui for our second spot and saw more turtles than we would have seen otherwise. So the painfully embarassing "oops" turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
21. The Lord is Extra-ordinary, and X's out our sins forever!!!
Scripture Blessings:
"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." 1Corinthians 13:12
Sorry, for not having more pictures - we have yet to upload for the last week! Tonight, we'll get to that.
Tyrean, we did it! Congratulations! I have an award for you!!
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