Marine Biology and the Holy Spirit

In middle school I wanted to be a marine biologist. I thought all the deep-sea creatures were fascinating and the ocean floor full of mountains a new world to explore. I wanted to go deep under water in a small submarine to light up the ocean floor's mysteries with huge flashlights and collect samples using mechanical arms attached to the ship. Overtime that dream of becoming a marine biologist faded, partly because I realized I'm pretty claustrophobic, but recently I've been reminded of it after reading these verses from 2 Corinthians 4:7-12:


"⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. ¹² So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you."

Pictures courtesy of google

The connection is obvious right? (No? haha, I'll explain). The submarines that go under the ocean's surface are put under an incredible amount of pressure. Each cubic foot of water weighs over 60 lbs. Imagine the weight then of over 12,000 feet of water bearing down on this little metal ship exploring its unknown territory. The metal of the ship has be very strong to withstand the pressure but even more than that, what keeps the ship from breaking is the air pressure on the inside. As the ship goes deeper under the water the air pressure inside of the cabin has to increase in order to balance out the pressure that is being felt from the outside. So I think it is with the jars of clay from the analogy in Corinthians. An empty jar of clay pressed hard on every side would crush under the pressure and anything made of clay struck down against a hard surface is destroyed. The promise in this passage comes in this passage is though our bodies, minds, and hearts are like these jars of clay we are filled with power from the holy spirit. We carry around the death of Jesus in our bodies, so that even though we are constantly given over to death for Jesus' sake, we are not crushed by this outward death because the Holy Spirit is within us. How surprising would it be to see a semi-truck roll over the top of a clay jar and have the jar come out completely unscathed? So it should be with anyone who relies on Christ to fill them, teach them and lead them. His strength, His death and resurrection, fill the empty vessel of our bodies and our souls so that "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." If the submarine that descended into the ocean's death was empty of air, it would be crushed by the ocean's weight. So, as we descend further into difficulties and trials of many kinds the Holy Spirit fills us to not only withstand, but explore and venture out into a foreign and difficult world.

I have felt under an incredible amount of pressure for a lot of my life. Pressure to be the perfect daughter, of financial concerns, worrying over a close family member's illness, to achieve academic success, and even to be a 'good' Christian. Under this pressure I often feel that I crumble, and only after I have fallen do I then look to the Father to redeem me, which He has done so faithfully, despite my unfaithfulness. But I want, when I live under pressure, to instead rely on the Holy Spirit within to fill me and sustain me against the pressures of the world. I am convicted every day by just how weak I am and how easily I break. I don't even think that I can say that I am made of clay- I feel like two of the three little pigs that builds their house with straw and sticks- and so I am learning that what makes me valuable, anything that is good or strong within me, comes from the Lord.  I struggle with what this looks like, especially in India, when there are new pressures that I just don't want to only just bear, but in Christ to live joyously through them actively loving and serving the people around me. Probably, I will never be a marine biologist who explores the Mariana Trench in a submarine, but I want to explore this life to its very trenches, filled with the knowledge and presence of God.