Raising People Above "See" Level Is a Task of Titanic Proportions

In much the same way that Peter Pan visited Never-Never Land, I travelled to Los Angeles several years ago and spent six months there one week. I never actually saw any fairy dust or Captain Hook, but I did feel several times  that someone was about to make me walk the plank.

            With a few extra days on the front end of my trip I was able to enjoy some of the local attractions, many of them viewed from the discomfort of my rental car while trying to maneuver in fifteen lanes of traffic, with an occasional foray outside to peel the air off of my windshield. Even the two-lane streets had six lanes of traffic. I’m not saying traffic moved fast but I saw baby strollers with pit crews.

            I stayed entertained reading the names of businesses while I was driving. One of them was “Foreign Parts Store.” I went inside and they were selling Japanese arms and legs. One billboard was advertising a Chinese restaurant close to Death Row at the state prison. It was called “Dead Man Wokking.”

            Los Angeles is known for its Dodgers. These are people who try to cross the street at any hour of the day or night. On display at that time  was the Spruce Goose, Howard Hughes’ wooden flying boat made famous by its flight in 1947. It flew for one thousand feet at an altitude of seventy feet. No big deal. My grandmother used to do that after a dip of snuff and  four cups of coffee. 

            One of the more extremely large history-inducing objects on display in the area was the Queen Mary . . . uhh . . . the boat, not the woman. You may remember from history that the English sold us the Queen Mary in 1967 because she was old, dried up, worn out, and useless. Then they also sold us the large boat. England was looking for somewhere to unload her and California seemed to be a natural. Their state motto is, “Bring us your huddled masses, your grapes, your computer whizzes, and your extremely large boats now – before we slide completely into the ocean.”

            That was my last experience with large boats until I watched a documentary about the Titanic. She rests at almost 13,000 feet below sea level, where there is very little plant and animal life and no light. It is so far down it will probably never be recovered.

            You do not have to go to Los Angeles or see a movie about the Titanic to be reminded there are people all around us who have emotionally or spiritually sunk to the bottom. Because of problems related to marriage, family, job, etc., they just sit there struggling. They see no way out, no hope, no light, no chance of recovery. Some of them are so far down they believe they can’t even see God.

            But, unlike the Titanic, rising above circumstances is not a man-thing – it is a God-thing.

That’s where we as Christians come in. The Church is in the business of helping people improve their vision so they can see light in the depths of darkness and hope in the midst of despair. They may be living below “see” level, but with God’s help they can be  raised up. He has a recovery rate that cannot be matched.