Onto the Water: Pagat Cave

The adventures just keep getting better! Last Saturday was Sidney's last Sabbath on Guam, so this final hike had to leave a lasting impression. We had no idea what the hike to Pagat Cave would have in store for us, but even people who had never been there said we should go. It wasn't until we met up with the rest of the group that we found out that there was a water component to this journey. That's OK. I can handle wet socks and shoes, I thought to myself, expecting a little wading reminiscent of our Shark Pit hike.

Well, we finally reached the entrance to the cave...

and descended down a rocky and slippery path...

to find this waiting for us:

The rest of our "hike" was by
candlelight,
flashlight,
and glow-sticks!

We were amused and awestruck to discover that the whole point of the Pagat Cave hike is the water! A natural "indoor" freshwater pool (supposedly clean enough to drink!), it was like an oasis from the heat and humidity that weighed on us with every rock and ledge that we overcame on the way to the cave. Kinda funny that everyone else that hiked alongside us knew exactly what was at the end of the trail...no wonder they were so enthusiastic!

There aren't many times in life that what I expect to be a minor inconvenience actually ends up being the very thing I am striving for. It makes me think about how we initially enter a relationship with God (often with a little hesitation), expecting that He's probably going to ask us to change a few things. Maybe give up certain habits or rearrange our priorities. And we anticipate those changes are going to be a burden, an inconvenience. But then, when we come to that point of change, we find ourselves desiring to change... wanting to leave behind the way life was without God. And as we continue to grow in our relationship with Him, that change, that transformation, becomes the very thing we hope for: a manifestation of Christ in us. That's sanctification.