Jules Verne

I'd never read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne. It seems like I should have read it somewhere along the way, but I simply never got around to is. Last of the Mohicans is on that list as well... I'll get to it someday.

I read Jules Verne's classic story this weekend. I went to the depths with Captain Nemo and his three prisoners, captured and held against their will in the Nautilus, desperate for a way home and yet fascinated by what they see on Nemo's submarine. Nemo is defined by some tragedy in the past--he is desperate to escape humanity, unwilling to interact with the world, which has harmed him in some way, and so he builds a master submarine, never to be heard from again.

This book captured my imagination for many reasons, and yet it led me into reflections on my faith as well. Nemo had let some event define his life--and I began to wonder how I have done the same. What are the things in my past that define my priorities, my life, my choices? Do I allow my gratitude to Christ to be the one event that defines where I go and how I serve? Or am I more tempted by the things of the world, allowing a desire to be rich or well-known drive me?

Nemo had built a submarine well-defended, safe from all intruders. How do I construct defenses to keep the world out, to keep myself 'safe'? Who am I keeping out, and at what cost to myself?

Am I willing to allow my life to become an adventure based on faith in Christ, or am I too focused on the material comforts of life to be guided by Christ and led by the Word? What is my focus, and how will I share the gifts I have with the world?