Navy Dad

On Sunday after church last weekend, Donna and I boarded a plane bound for San Diego. Our son, Bryce, serves in the US Navy. His submarine was docked in San Diego for a few days, so we went to see him...and the sub. On Sunday afternoon, he gave us a tour of the USS Ohio.

I can't give you any details of the tour. Well, maybe a few. The submarine has no windows. OK, some of you already knew that. Others of you thought it was more like the sub on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, with a full windshield and side windows. (If you understand this reference, your memory is still doing well for someone of your age.)

I got to play with the periscope! Very similar to the one on The Hunt for Red October. Actually, I didn't play with it, I used it appropriately. But it was still very cool.

Most people ask about claustrophobia on the submarine. (That lack of windows thing again.) My impression wasn't of being claustrophobic in a panicky sense. But I was aware that I could not look very far in any direction. My eyes never got to focus on something distant. Bryce told me last fall that he missed seeing the leaves change color. If you live in Sacramento you may feel that way every fall. But for Bryce, he couldn't see the leaves change because he was on the boat the whole season of Autumn. Being on a submarine limits your vision.

In fact, I guess that was my general impression of the submarine. All the random thoughts above relate to vision. Life on a submarine limits your vision. Now on a sub, that's OK, because they have computers and maps and charts and stuff. They can "see" where they are going, even though the guy driving the boat has no windshield.

In our spiritual journey, we long to see. We want to know where we are going. We want to look out. We don't always get that privilege. Sometimes God just makes it so we are in the dark. Sometimes his word acts as a lamp to our feet, but the light it casts feels pretty dim. I guess you could say the Spirit is our navigator and that we are dependent on him.

There are a lot of metaphors that can be drawn from life on a submarine. You can imagine more yourself. As for me, I really just wanted to let you know I am proud of my son.

Comments

[Kirk]

And with very good reason, my friend.

God Bless Petty Officer Franklin, his shipmates, and his parents.