A Dive to Find God

Right after my last examination paper, I set off to Tioman for a diving trip. Together, the three Joshua’s (Chong, Lau, Lee) had a great time of bonding and knowing each other better. Personally, I was finally able to relax after two stressful weeks and many sleepless nights to prepare for the examinations. However, I still went to the diving trip with a heavy heart as I did not do well for my last paper, Chemistry.

The night before the paper, I contemplated on reporting sick (even though I wasn’t) so that I can miss my Chemistry paper and do it next semester instead. This way, it will most probably not affect my GPA (university grading). I struggled throughout the night and could not focus on what I was studying. Nevertheless, I prayed about this and was reminded of Reverend Melvyn Mak’s message of “Finding hope in Jesus”. With that in mind, I decided to sit for the paper the next morning, but I still left with a heavy heart.

At the end of the first night of diving, Teck as usual asked us, “What is something you learnt today?”

My response was, “To trust God in the things that you do.”

I said this because when we dove into the ocean, we do not know what we will see or encounter, and there may be dangers lying ahead in this unpredictable ocean, especially because we are diving at night and it was so dark that we really could not see anything at all. However, I learnt to trust God that He will protect us, and that we will be safe and be able to enjoy the beautiful sea creatures He made. Similarly, we need to walk with Jesus so that His light can guide us to walk us through the dark tunnel, which we have no idea of what we will be encountering next.

John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

On the second day, we dove very deeply to see a shipwreck, but the currents were so strong that we had to fin like crazy, just to move a little. We also had to cling onto a rope so that we will not be swept away by the strong currents. If we were to get swept away by the strong currents, we will most probably get lost in the ocean.

On the second night, Teck said something very meaningful, “In life, there are smooth currents that will help you move forward with ease, while there are also rough currents that will hinder you from moving forward.” Hence during times with “rough currents” in our lives, it is important to rely on God for strength and persevere to carry on “fining” till you get to your destination.

At the end of this trip, I was glad that I did go for my last paper, Chemistry, as I chose to put my hope and trust in Jesus and to obey Him. Even if the results I get back are not ideal, I trust that God has greater plans for me. I would also like to thank God that I got to know Teck and Joshua Lau much better through this trip, as we managed to spend some quality time together.

I will remember the memorable times like disturbing the shark, eating fresh crabs for supper, and talking through the night! But most importantly, I want to thank God for teaching me such a valuable lesson to learn to trust Him, as well as speaking through Teck, reminding me to persevere whilst facing challenges!


Joshua Chong
Teck Horng’s tribe