The Blue Grotto.
For centuries, this natural phenomenon located on the Italian island of Capri has drawn millions of visitors to experience its stunning beauty. It is a sea cave with an entrance of about 3 feet high at low tide. Thus, to enter it through a boat, steered by an expert oarsman, requires all of the passengers to lie flat on the bottom of the boat. The oarsman then grabs a chain attached to the cave walls and pulls the boat through the opening.
“Here we go!” The oarsman gave us the signal to lie down. We passed through the opening, our faces just inches away from the rocks. In a few seconds, we went from bright daylight into a deep and lovely sapphire blue.
One may read descriptions, view photographs, or watch a video via the link provided, but none of these can fully capture the grandeur and excitement of passing through the narrow passage and emerging into a wondrous and surreal world suffused with blue light. After a few minutes of traversing the circumference of the cave, we exited in the same manner we entered.
We were fortunate to enter the Blue Grotto that day. The prior ten days, the Grotto was closed because inclement weather resulted in choppy waves, making the entry through the narrow passage extremely hazardous. A few hours later, we learned the Grotto was closed for the rest of the day because the weather had unexpectedly worsened, much to the frustration of hundreds of tourists who were denied the opportunity to enter later in the day.
Entering the Blue Grotto is a choice that is not for us to make by our own volition. It is dependent upon so many unpredictable factors including the weather, the tide, and even one’s ability to avoid getting seasick in the small boat incessantly bobbing near the entrance. But the reward is definitely worth the uncertainties and travails one must experience to gain entry.
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Matthew 7:13-14
Jesus Christ issued this solemn statement about the pathway to salvation and eternal life. Many desire to find and enter it, but only a few are able to successfully navigate the many distractions and unpredictable circumstances that life presents to us. Is there any hope for us?
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6 (ESV)
Like the Blue Grotto, there is only one way to enter into salvation and eternal life. There is no substitute or compromise that we can make. The Good News is, unlike the Blue Grotto, salvation is a choice that we can and must make by our own volition. Jesus Christ has paid the price for our salvation but we must choose to enter the narrow gate by believing in Jesus Christ as one’s Lord and Savior.
Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.
The Bereans Blog 